Fishing at Cavity Lake, Park County, Montana

• Overview

  Cavity Lake is set in Park County, Montana. The surroundings are mixed forest. About 10 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Compared with other Montana water on our list, it sits high. The nearest place of any size is Red Lodge, 33 miles away. Beyond it, Absarokee at 35 miles and Columbus at 47 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Cavity Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Survey and observation records for Park County include rainbow trout, brook trout, california golden trout and brown trout. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. At Cavity Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 51°F, with January the cold end at about 13°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late May. Climate averages put the opening at about late May and the closing near early November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. The season on Cavity Lake follows the weather closely.

• 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. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Incisor Lake at 0.3 miles is the sensible second choice. None of that is settled for Cavity Lake in what we hold.