Northgate Dam is a reservoir in Burke County, North Dakota.
Northgate Dam is a reservoir in Burke County, North Dakota, and covers about 157.9 acres, reaches about 23.6 feet at its deepest point and holds roughly 1,270.9 acre-feet.
Northgate Dam can be broken down in a few passes: shallow cover, the first break, and the deepest useful water.
Northgate Dam stands out for its 157.9 acres of water and a recorded deep point near 23.6 feet; that mix gives Black Crappie, Bluegill, Largemouth Bass room to move between shallow cover and open water.
For a useful first pass on Northgate Dam, choose a point or firm shoreline close to deeper water; fish the shallow top, the edge, and the bottom of the drop before making a long move, using that three-step check to turn the exact size and depth into a practical plan.
Fish listed for Northgate Dam include Black Crappie, Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, and Walleye.
For a quick walleye test, fish a jig and minnow, a live-bait rig, or a light crankbait along points and the first drop.
One useful black crappie plan is to fish a small jig or minnow around wood, weeds, and sharp little drops.
When bluegill are the target, use a small jig, worm, or tiny plastic around green weeds and protected pockets.
Start the largemouth bass day by trying to fish a soft plastic, jig, or spinnerbait around weeds and protected cover.
When the bite is unclear, other targets listed here include Rainbow Trout; give each one its own bait and depth instead of trying to catch everything with the same rig.
For an opening pass, begin where two things meet: weeds and open water, rock and mud, a point and a drop, or clear water and stained water; fish that edge at more than one depth before leaving it.
For an opening pass, spring runoff can add color and pull fish toward fresh water; green weeds and the first drop become stronger summer targets; in fall, follow bait toward points and shallow flats, while winter rewards a slower search.
Before moving far, a light spinning rod, thin line, a few light spoons, inline spinners, and jigs cover the listed trout; carry one slightly heavier setup when other fish or windy water call for more control.
After a bite, write down productive depth, water color, wind, and cover; those clues make the next trip easier to plan than a list of random places.
In practice, keep the first hour simple: try one moving bait to find active fish, slow down with a jig or natural bait on the strongest edge, and repeat the same setup when two bites come from matching depth and bottom during that part of the trip.
To narrow the search, fish a light jig or minnow around wood, weeds, and sharp little drops.
Treat 23.6 feet as the deepest point, not the automatic fishing depth; start near cover and move deeper only when bites or bait give a reason.
In practice, move after checking the same useful feature at several depths without finding bait, a clean edge, or a bite.
Explore nearby waters, including local Featured destinations. Check each page for access and fishing restrictions.
Distances are straight-line estimates between mapped water locations.