Cladocera Lake Fishing near Red Lodge, Montana

• Overview

  The Carbon County entry here is Cladocera Lake, in Montana. The bank is 10,469 feet above sea level. Surface area runs to about 12 acres — small enough to read in one session. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Montana listings. Red Lodge at 22 miles is the nearest place to stop. The big place round here is Billings, 75 miles distant. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Cladocera Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Reported across Carbon County: rainbow trout, brook trout, sauger and walleye. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Read Cladocera Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 13°F in January to roughly 47°F in August. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Look for the thaw near mid June; the fishing lifts straight after. Averages place the thaw at mid June and the freeze at late October. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. The season on Cladocera Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Copepod Lake, 0.5 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat access at Cladocera Lake as something to verify.