Castle Rock Lake Fishing in Rosebud County, Montana

• Overview

  You will find Castle Rock Lake in Rosebud County, Montana. The country round it is pine and birch from end to end. The edge runs 2.0 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Colstrip lies 1 mile from the water. Lame Deer lies 19 miles off, Forsyth another 26 miles. Within a short run: Little Hawk Lake (25 miles) and Lower Coal Creek Reservoir some 32 miles off. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Castle Rock Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Levels move with the draw rather than the rain on water like this. Survey and observation records for Rosebud County include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, green sunfish and northern pike. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. At Castle Rock Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 70°F on average, January about 21°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. The lid usually goes in late March, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. The water is typically free of ice between late March and early December. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Plan any trip to Castle Rock Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Recorded parking is half a mile off, far enough to travel light. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. For a change of water, Little Hawk Lake is 25 miles distant. Check the position on Castle Rock Lake before loading the car.