Baney Lake near Eureka: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Baney Lake is a Lincoln County water, Montana side. The surface lies 2,526 feet up. It covers about 6 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Most waters listed here for Lincoln County are larger. Supplies mean a trip to Eureka, 6.2 miles off. The big place round here is Lethbridge, 117 miles distant. A county line runs close by, so local bylaws can differ within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Baney Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Records held for Lincoln County cover rainbow trout, sockeye salmon, brook trout, northern pike and largemouth bass. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Baney Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put August at about 65°F and January near 23°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. The lid usually goes in late March, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Break-up near late March, freeze-up near early December: that is the shape of an average year. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. On Baney Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Failing this one, try Sales Lake, 0.5 miles away. Where Baney Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.