Manmade Opportunities
By Brad Dokken, Grand Forks Herald, N.D.
Feb. 11–They’re small lakes, most of them, man-made reservoirs created for flood-control or town water supplies.
Recreation and fishing are secondary benefits.
Some are popular — Larimore Dam in Grand Forks County and Homme Dam in Walsh County, for example — with well-established fishing and recreational traditions.
Others lie off the beaten path and require a bit of searching to find. That can be half the fun, though — even if the exploring doesn’t produce any fish in the bag.
Most are located within two hours of Grand Forks, and some are just minutes from city limits. The fishing they offer usually won’t rival Devils Lake or Lake of the Woods, but for anglers looking for a quick getaway with the kids — or an excursion when time is short — they’re worth checking out.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the man-made reservoirs in northeastern North Dakota and three getaways in northwestern Minnesota.
For good measure, we even threw in a couple of natural lakes.
Grand Forks County
— Fordville Dam: The North Dakota Game and Fish Department did a netting survey of Fordville Dam last summer, and the results were fairly impressive. According to Randy Hiltner, district fisheries biologist for Game and Fish in Devils Lake, small perch dominated the catch, but the survey also produced decent numbers of nice-sized walleyes and northern pike. Game and Fish stocks the lake with 19,000 fingerling walleyes and northerns in alternating years and stocked 20,000 largemouth bass fingerlings in 2003. Located northwest of Inkster, N.D., the reservoir measures 185 acres, with an average depth of 11 feet and a maximum depth of 30.4 feet.
— Kolding Dam: There was a time in the mid- to late ’80s when this tiny reservoir south of Niagara, N.D., was known for rainbow trout, but pike are the fish of choice these days. Gary Rankin, district game warden for Game and Fish in Larimore, N.D., says he hasn’t seen anyone fishing the lake this winter, but it did produce pike last summer. Game and Fish has stocked the lake with 1,000 northern pike fingerlings annually since 2002.
— Larimore Dam: Located two miles northeast of Larimore, this 66.7-acre reservoir is one of the busier small lakes in northeastern North Dakota. According to Rankin, fishing was real good at early ice but has slowed in recent weeks. Hit it right, and Larimore can produce everything from perch, bluegills and the occasional walleye, to crappies, northern pike and largemouth bass. Rankin said the lake has about 12 to 15 permanent houses on the ice during a typical winter. He says the area near the face of the dam and the north shore are popular spots. Game and Fish has stocked Larimore with 6,000 walleye fingerlings each year since 2004 and also occasionally stocks pike and bass fingerlings.
— Niagara Dam: Located just north of the town of Niagara, this 16.21-acre reservoir is best known for northern pike. Game and Fish has stocked Niagara Dam with about 1,000 pike fingerlings annually since 1997.
— English Coulee Diversion: This series of about a half-dozen ponds between Grand Forks and Thompson, N.D., has been popular with anglers for the past several years. Rankin, the district game warden, says small perch have dominated the catch this winter, but anglers also have caught some bigger perch and northern pike. Game and Fish has never stocked the ponds, he says, and fish most likely got into the system from nearby private ponds during high-water years. Anglers also can expect to catch occasional largemouth bass, especially in the summer. The ponds are shallow, Rankin said, and it would be difficult to find water deeper than 15 feet. The farthest east impoundment is probably the best bet for northerns, he says; perch dominate the bag in the ponds farther west. Access to the diversion ponds is limited. It’s illegal for vehicles to cross the dikes surrounding the impoundment, but access is available on the west side off Grand Forks County Road 13. Otherwise, anglers can park by the dam at the east end and walk up and over the dikes to access the ponds. “There’s fair fishing,” Rankin said. “It gets a fair amount of pressure.”
Cavalier County
— Langdon City Pond: Game and Fish stocks this 5.7-acre pond in Langdon, N.D., with 400 to 500 rainbow trout fingerlings annually. Maximum depth is 15 1/2 feet, and the average depth is about 11 feet.
— Mount Carmel Dam: One of the area’s larger reservoirs, 342-acre Mount Carmel sustained a significant winter kill a few years back. Hiltner, the Game and Fish biologist, says pike survived, but the winter kill really knocked back the perch and walleyes. Game and Fish in 2006 stocked nearly 19,000 crappie fingerlings and 20,000 walleye fingerlings.
Walsh County
— Bylin Dam: Game and Fish stocked 3,150 crappie fingerlings and 8,000 walleye fingerlings in 2006. Typically, the 59.8-acre reservoir gets pike and walleye fingerlings in alternating years. Located three miles east and three miles south of Adams, N.D.
— Dougherty Dam: Located one mile west of Bylin Dam, 27.3-acre Dougherty Dam is still listed as a state fishing water, but Game and Fish hasn’t stocked the dam since 1998. That year, the lake got 1,000 bluegill and 1,080 pike fingerlings.
— Homme Dam: Hiltner of Game and Fish describes this 184.6-acre reservoir west of Park River, N.D., as a perennial fishing spot. “There’s good perch numbers out there,” Hiltner said. “Again, they’re not real heavy-bodied perch, but if you’re good with a fillet knife, you might be able to do some good out there.” Homme also has crappies and a naturally reproducing population of largemouth bass. Game and Fish stocked 20,000 walleyes fingerlings in 2006.
— Matejcek Dam: Located six miles south of Lankin, N.D., this 129.1-acre reservoir is a fairly consistent fishing spot, Hiltner says, although the action seems to have slowed a bit the last year or two. Perch, pike and walleyes dominate the catch, he says, and crappies come and go. During a recent test-netting survey, Hiltner says, most of the walleyes measured less than 18 inches. Game and Fish stocked 10,000 walleye fingerlings in 2005 and 2006, along with 12,000 crappie fingerlings and 10,000 pike fingerlings in 2004.
Pembina County
— Renwick Dam: The centerpiece of Icelandic State Park, 180.5-acre Renwick is best known for pike, perch and a few crappies. Hiltner says the reservoir typically doesn’t produce big fish of any species. Game and Fish has stocked 18,000 to 20,000 pike fingerlings each of the last four years. The most recent walleye stocking was in 2002, when Game and Fish stocked 20,000 fingerlings. Located six miles west and one mile north of Cavalier, N.D.
Nelson County
— McVille Dam: Game and Fish has supplied this 30.2-acre reservoir with alternate stockings of walleyes and pike since 2002, including 4,000 walleye fingerlings in 2006. Located one mile east of McVille, N.D.
— Silver Creek Dam: Another lake that’s still listed as a North Dakota fishing water, Silver Creek Dam hasn’t been stocked since 1998, when Game and Fish put 2,100 pike fingerlings into the reservoir. Located four miles west and one-half mile south of McVille.
— Tolna Dam: Pike, perch and walleyes are the species of choice in this 164.6-acre reservoir, but Game and Fish stocked 12,600 crappie fingerlings in 2006 to go with the 10,000 walleye fingerlings it put in the lake. Located one mile south and two miles east of Tolna, N.D., the reservoir has an average depth of 9.8 feet and a maximum depth of 22.8 feet.
— Whitman Dam: As with most reservoirs in northeastern North Dakota, Whitman is best known for pike, walleyes and perch among its gamefish species. Game and Fish did stock 6,300 crappie fingerlings in 2006, though, and has stocked 15,000 walleye fingerlings annually since 2004. The reservoir measures 149.8 acres, with an average depth of 10.8 feet and a maximum depth of 26 feet.
— Stump Lake: Stump isn’t a dam, but it’s still worth mentioning for its ever-increasing size. The Game and Fish Web site lists Stump at 7,940.2 acres, but that’s selling it short, Hiltner says. Next summer, he says, Stump and Devils Lake likely will reach the same water level, and when that happens, Stump will cover about 15,000 acres with a depth of more than 70 feet. There’s some good fishing to be had for perch, walleyes and pike, and Game and Fish stocked nearly 306,000 walleye fingerlings and 260,000 perch fingerlings in 2006.
— Lake Laretta: One of North Dakota’s so-called “opportunistic” lakes that emerged during the wet years of the late ’90s, 729.3-acre Laretta isn’t formed by a dam, either, but it was THE lake for perch a few winters back. These days, northern pike dominate the catch. During the most recent test netting in 2005, Hiltner says Game and Fish crews saw nice-sized northern pike and a few adult perch. Game and Fish stocked 35,000 pike fingerlings into Laretta in 1997, he says — a one-time effort — but the perch that got into the lake were “cream can”-variety fish that were stocked illegally. “I haven’t heard much from there at all, but there’s no reason to believe it doesn’t have a bunch of nice pike,” Hiltner said. Laretta is located two miles west and three miles north of Michigan, N.D. The maximum depth is 26.8 feet, and the average depth is 16.3 feet.
Northwestern
Minnesota
— Lake Bronson: Walleyes are considered the primary species in 335-acre Lake Bronson, but perch have become the shining star of this Kittson County reservoir. Dennis Topp, assistant area fisheries supervisor for the Department of Natural Resources in Baudette, Minn., says a survey last summer produced several perch more than 12 inches long and some that exceeded 13 inches. “You almost had to be there to believe what we were catching,” he said. “In my years of working fisheries in Minnesota, I don’t remember any catches of perch that were nicer than those.” The walleye catches weren’t bad, either, Topp says, and Lake Bronson’s walleye population is above average for lakes of similar makeup. Pike also provide lots of action, Topp says, and while they’re not “trophy” caliber, anglers occasionally catch northerns up to about 15 pounds. Largemouth bass, crappies and bluegills round out the gamefish menu. Located in Lake Bronson State Park, Lake Bronson was treated with rotenone in 1992 to kill off bullheads. The lake has a maximum depth of 29 feet. The most recent stocking report shows the DNR stocked Bronson with 17,790 walleye fingerlings and 60 adult crappies in 2004. There’s lots of recreational boat traffic to contend with in the summer, Topp says, but the upper end of the reservoir does offer the opportunity to fish in quieter surroundings.
— Florian Reservoir: This 50-acre reservoir near Stephen, Minn., in Marshall County, doesn’t get much pressure in the winter, but Florian offers fishing opportunities for both bluegill and pumpkinseed sunfish, thanks to DNR stocking efforts. The DNR’s Topp says anyone venturing out on Florian in the winter should steer clear of the west side of the reservoir, where an aeration system creates unsafe ice conditions. The lake also has a naturally sustaining pike population.
— Hayes Lake State Park: A DNR electrofishing survey in 2004 produced largemouth bass up to 6.2 pounds, and it’s not unheard of to see pike weighing 15 pounds or more from this 180-reservoir. Located in Hayes Lake State Park southeast of Roseau, Minn., Hayes Lake offers one of northwestern Minnesota’s most pristine fishing experiences, with undeveloped shoreline and access that’s limited to canoes or boats with electric trolling motors. Hayes also has crappies and bluegills, and for anglers who aren’t snobbish, brown bullheads up to about 2 pounds. “Brown bullheads require some good water quality and that’s what you see at Hayes,” Topp said. “For folks who are interested in fishing for bullheads, it’s nothing to overlook — even if you’re fishing for something else.”
Reach Dokken at 780-1148, (800) 477-6572 ext. 148, or bdokken@gfherald.com.
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Copyright (c) 2007, Grand Forks Herald, N.D.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
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