Fishing Avalanche Lake in Carbon County, Montana

• Overview

  Montana holds Avalanche Lake, in Carbon County. The land about it is mixed forest. Roughly 57 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. It is among the larger waters listed here for Carbon County. Red Lodge lies 27 miles from the water. The nearest city of size is Billings, 76 miles away. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Avalanche Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Species logged across Carbon County include rainbow trout, brook trout, sauger and walleye. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Take Avalanche Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 48°F and January about 15°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Ice-out usually falls in early June, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Climate averages put the opening at about early June and the closing near late October. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. That is the shape of the year on Avalanche Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. For a change of water, Cold Lake is 0.7 miles distant. Check the position at Avalanche Lake before loading the car.