Fishing Atsina Lake in Flathead County, Montana

• Overview

  Atsina Lake lies in Flathead County, in Montana. It sits at 5,761 feet above sea level. The water measures roughly 9 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. On size it sits at the modest end of our Flathead County list. The closest town, Cardston, is 33 miles distant. For a city, Lethbridge is 73 miles off. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Atsina Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Records held for Flathead County cover rainbow trout, sockeye salmon, largemouth bass, brook trout and yellow perch. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. At Atsina Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, August reads 54°F and January reads 14°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Ice is part of the season here, ending near mid May. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about mid May until roughly mid November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Atsina Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Sue Lake is 1 mile distant. Nothing on Atsina Lake should be assumed from this page alone.