Pretty Rock Lake

Pretty Rock Lake is a reservoir in Grant County, North Dakota, and covers about 170.8 acres and holds roughly 500 acre-feet.

Pretty Rock Lake can be broken down in a few passes: shallow cover, the first break, and the deepest useful water.

Fish and Baits

Fish listed for Pretty Rock Lake include Bluegill, Northern Pike, Walleye, and Yellow Perch.

On this 170.8-acre water, try this for walleye: work a jig and minnow, a live-bait rig, or a small crankbait along points and the first drop.

Around this midsize Grant County reservoir, try this for yellow perch: keep a small jig tipped with a minnow or worm close to the bottom on a flat beside deeper water.

In Grant County, try this for northern pike: cover weed edges and shallow points with a spoon, spinnerbait, or minnow-shaped lure.

Around this North Dakota reservoir of midsize size, try this for bluegill: use a small jig, worm, or tiny plastic around green weeds and protected pockets.

How to Read the Water

Across this midsize Grant County reservoir, do not let the deepest number control the whole day; nearby cover, firm bottom, and food usually matter more than the deepest hole by itself.

Season by Season

Within this Grant County reservoir with open water, shallow water is worth a careful look in spring and again during fall; bright summer days favor shade, weeds, or deeper breaks; under ice, a small depth change can be more useful than a long move.

A Simple Tackle Plan

Across this midsize Grant County reservoir, a medium spinning rod with 8- to 10-pound line handles most jigs and small casting baits; add a stronger outfit and a proper leader when northern pike are the target.

When testing depth on this midsize, open reservoir in Grant County, record the wind, water color, productive depth, and cover after a bite; those four notes are more useful on the next trip than a long list of spots that did not produce.