Acorn Lake, Montana: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  This water sits in Sanders County, Montana. The water sits 6,001 feet up. About 3 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Some 12 miles away sits Thompson Falls, the nearest settlement. Plains lies 12 miles off, Osburn another 40 miles. Within a short drive: Tuffys Lake just 2.8 miles, Quail Lake at 4.7 miles, Outlaw Lake just 5.4 miles, Pardee Slough at 11 miles and Deer Lake just 14 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Acorn Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Across Sanders County, recorded fish include rainbow trout, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. At Acorn Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 58°F at the top of summer and 21°F at the bottom of winter. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late April. Ice clears near late April and comes back about late November in a typical year. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Time your trip to Acorn Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Tuffys Lake, 2.8 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. The position on Acorn Lake is worth confirming on the day.