Fishing Lake Albert in Grant County, South Dakota

• Overview

  Set in Grant County, Lake Albert is a South Dakota water. The setting is rolling bush. This is sizeable water at about 267 acres, and a boat opens up most of it. The full circuit measures close to 3.1 miles on foot. Nothing else we list in Grant County covers more water. Nearest town is Milbank, 5.7 miles off. For a city, Fargo is 114 miles off. You are close to a county edge here; who manages the access can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Lake Albert

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Fish documented in Grant County include johnny darter, white sucker and Iowa darter. The county list is broader than any single water. Work Lake Albert in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 11°F and July at about 72°F, the water has a wide range to work through. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough early April. Climate averages put the opening at about early April and the closing near late November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lake Albert.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Catfish want bait on the bottom: cut bait or worms, a simple running rig, and patience after dark. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Lake Farley sits 6.2 miles off and takes the overflow. For Lake Albert in particular, ask before you travel.