Burns Lake Fishing in Richland County, Montana

• Overview

  Set in Richland County, Burns Lake is a Montana water. It lies 1,978 feet above sea level. This is a pocket water of some 8 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Montana listings. You are 23 miles from Glendive. Then West Glendive, 24 miles, and Sidney, 27 miles. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Burns Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Richland County cover northern pike, bluegill and largemouth bass. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Read Burns Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 74°F and January about 18°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around late March. Climate figures give an open season running late March to early December. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. At Burns Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Gartside Reservoir at 16 miles is the sensible second choice. For Burns Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.