Copper Lake Fishing in Mineral County, Montana

• Overview

  Copper Lake sits within Mineral County in Montana. The bank gives way to mixed forest. Small at around 3 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. On size it sits at the modest end of our Mineral County list. Head to Osburn, 15 miles away, for anything you forgot. The nearest city of size is Spokane, 82 miles away. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Copper Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Public occurrence data for Mineral County names rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, Arctic grayling, brook trout and california golden trout. The county list is broader than any single water. On Copper Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 59°F for August and 22°F for January. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Expect the water usable from around mid April until roughly late November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. It sets the rhythm of the year at Copper Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Mapping shows no built access close by; expect to walk in from wherever you can leave the car. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Saint Regis Lake at 1.8 miles is the sensible second choice. Rules at Copper Lake are worth checking on the day.