Browns Lake Fishing near Lincoln, Montana

• Overview

  Browns Lake is listed under Powell County, Montana. The bank is 4,285 feet above sea level. It measures some 517 acres, and wind has room to build across it. Around 5.0 miles of bank, which is a long day on foot. It ranks high for size among our Powell County listings. For a base, Lincoln sits 15 miles out. The big place round here is Lethbridge, 190 miles distant. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Browns Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Open biodiversity records for Powell County list rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout, northern pike and largemouth bass. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Browns Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 64°F, the coldest about 19°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. After early April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Ice usually gives way near early April, and forms again about late November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. It holds true on Browns Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. A slipway is marked about half a mile from here. Overnight stays are possible half a mile away. Facilities run to toilets half a mile from the water. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. If the gate is shut, Kleinschmidt Lake at 2 miles is the nearest alternative. Rules at Browns Lake are worth checking on the day.