Fishing at Carbine Lake, Sanders County, Montana

• Overview

  The Sanders County end of Montana holds Carbine Lake. Elevation runs to 6,073 feet. Surface area runs to about 3 acres — small enough to read in one session. Most waters listed here for Sanders County are larger. Nearest town is Thompson Falls, 10 miles off. Beyond it, Plains at 26 miles and Osburn at 37 miles. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Carbine Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Sanders County records list rainbow trout, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike and sockeye salmon among the fish reported. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. At Carbine Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put August near 56°F and December near 20°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about late April until roughly mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. The season on Carbine Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Should this one be busy, Graves Lake is 1.2 miles off. Nothing on Carbine Lake should be assumed from this page alone.