Ross Lake Fishing Guide, Bottineau County, North Dakota

• Overview

  The Bottineau County entry here is Ross Lake, in North Dakota. Around the bank it is lake country bush. It measures some 319 acres, and wind has room to build across it. At about 3.9 miles of edge, most people work one arm at a time. On our Bottineau County list it sits near the top for size. Nearest place of any size is Bottineau, 13 miles away. Then Deloraine, 15 miles, and Boissevain, 20 miles. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Ross Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Records held for Bottineau County cover bluegill, brown bullhead, northern pike, smallmouth bass and yellow perch. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Ross Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 1°F to 65°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late April. The lid tends to go about late April and return around mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Ross Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Morins Lake, 0.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm access to Ross Lake locally before you travel.