Fishing at Phelps Lake, Griggs County, North Dakota

• Overview

  This water sits in Griggs County, North Dakota. Height above sea level is 1,440 feet. The water covers some 88 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. About 3.0 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. Nearest place of any size is Carrington, 36 miles away. New Rockford is 39 miles away, with Valley City at 43 miles. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Phelps Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Reported across Griggs County: bluegill, largemouth bass, yellow perch and northern pike. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Phelps Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 5°F and July at about 69°F, the water has a wide range to work through. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Once it clears, about mid April, the fishing comes on quickly. The lid tends to go about mid April and return around mid November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Plan any trip to Phelps Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Part of this sits inside or beside Sibley Lake Wildlife Management Area, so read the notices. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. If the gate is shut, Round Lake at 0.9 miles is the nearest alternative. Where Phelps Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.