What is the best fishing lake near Fargo?

Turtle Lake in Becker County is the top-ranked fishing lake near Fargo, with a water quality grade of A (29.9 miles away).

How many lakes are near Fargo for fishing?

30 lakes within driving distance of Fargo match the fishing filters used on this page.

Best Lakes for Fishing Near Fargo

North Dakota

30 fishing lakes within driving distance of Fargo, North Dakota, ranked by water quality and fishing-specific filters. Filtered for documented fish species (3+) and public access. Ranked by water quality and species diversity.

Fargo sits in a lake-rich part of the upper Midwest: 30 graded lakes within reach, average grade A. Turtle Lake (A) leads the cluster.

The fishing-specific ranking layered on top of the LakeGrade rubric is what produces the list below: a grade-good lake that does not also support the fishing use case is less useful than a grade-decent lake that does.

#	Lake	County	Grade	Distance	Clarity	Depth
1	Turtle Lake	Becker	A	29.9 mi	23 ft	73 ft
2	Middle Cormorant Lake	Becker	A	33.1 mi	15.1 ft	40 ft
3	Big Cormorant Lake	Becker	A	35.7 mi	24.8 ft	75 ft
4	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	A	38.3 mi	16.4 ft	55 ft
5	Maud Lake	Becker	A	39.1 mi	17 ft	32 ft
6	Lizzie Lake	Otter Tail	A	39.9 mi	16.4 ft	66 ft
7	Long Lake	Becker	A	42.4 mi	15.1 ft	61 ft
8	Long Lake	Becker	A	42.7 mi	19.3 ft	61 ft
9	Jewett Lake	Otter Tail	A	47.7 mi	17.7 ft	75 ft
10	West Silent Lake	Otter Tail	A	48.6 mi	18 ft	58 ft
11	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	A	49.2 mi	16.5 ft	42 ft
12	Six Lake	Otter Tail	A	49.2 mi	21 ft	140 ft
13	Scalp Lake	Otter Tail	A	49.6 mi	20 ft	90 ft
14	Eunice Lake	Becker	A	40.1 mi	13.5 ft	30 ft
15	Pearl Lake	Becker	A	40.8 mi	10 ft	54 ft
16	Franklin Lake	Otter Tail	A	41.5 mi	13.1 ft	48 ft
17	Melissa Lake	Becker	A	43.3 mi	13.1 ft	37 ft
18	Meadow Lake	Becker	A	44.3 mi	14 ft	72 ft
19	Floyd Lake	Becker	A	44.5 mi	13.1 ft	34 ft
20	Detroit Lake	Becker	A	45.3 mi	14 ft	89 ft
21	Trowbridge Lake	Otter Tail	A	46.4 mi	13.5 ft	76 ft
22	Long Lake	Otter Tail	A	46.6 mi	11.6 ft	73 ft
23	East Loon Lake	Otter Tail	A	48.8 mi	13.5 ft	105 ft
24	Ida Lake	Becker	B	34.4 mi	12.1 ft	20 ft
25	Bullhead Lake	Becker	B	37.8 mi	12.9 ft	34 ft
26	Prairie Lake	Otter Tail	B	38.9 mi	8.9 ft	22 ft
27	Sallie Lake	Becker	B	43.1 mi	13 ft	50 ft
28	Crystal Lake	Otter Tail	B	43.3 mi	10.2 ft	55 ft
29	Mud Lake	Becker	B	43.9 mi	12.5 ft	34 ft
30	Lida Lake	Otter Tail	B	44.6 mi	14 ft	58 ft

Other activities near Fargo

Swimming near Fargo →Kayaking near Fargo →Boating near Fargo →All lakes near Fargo →

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.