Silver Lake Fishing near Devils Lake, North Dakota

• Overview

  Silver Lake is set in Benson County, North Dakota. The setting is pine and birch on every side. At 660 acres this is proper open water rather than a pond. A plain outline means the drop-off does the work that bays would elsewhere. You are 19 miles from Devils Lake. The big place round here is Fargo, 147 miles distant. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Silver Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Survey and observation records for Benson County include black bullhead, white bass, northern pike, striped bass and tadpole madtom. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Work Silver Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 68°F, while January sits near 5°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. The lid usually goes in mid April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near mid November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. On Silver Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. O'Connell Lake sits 1 mile off and takes the overflow. Confirm before you fish Silver Lake.