Pickerel Lake, North Dakota: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Pickerel Lake is a Nelson County water, in North Dakota. Land around it is pine and birch. Surface area is around 58 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Larimore sits 24 miles from the bank. For a city, Fargo is 79 miles off. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking. There is enough here to keep coming back.

• Where to Fish on Pickerel Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Reported across Nelson County: largemouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch and bluegill. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. On Pickerel Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 68°F in July and bottoms out near 5°F in January. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Winter locks it down, and mid April brings it back. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about mid April until roughly mid November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. That shapes the year on Pickerel Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. The nearest car park we can see is 0.9 miles out, so expect a walk with your gear. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Matson Slough at 5.7 miles is the sensible second choice. Where Pickerel Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.