Fishing at Stink Lake, Williams County, North Dakota

• Overview

  Stink Lake lies in Williams County, in North Dakota. What surrounds it is pine and birch. Surface area is around 160 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Shoreline comes to about 2.3 miles, small enough to learn in a day. The nearest place of any size is Plentywood, 27 miles away. Further out sit Williston (38 miles) and Crosby (39 miles). It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Stink Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. County-wide records name northern pike, Iowa darter, black bullhead and bluegill. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. The near bank of Stink Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 70°F; by January the average is down near 8°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Average temperatures cross freezing around mid April in spring and again near late November in autumn. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Time your trip to Stink Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Should this one be busy, Twin Lakes is 1.3 miles off. Check the current arrangement for Stink Lake.