Fishing Crazy Fish Lake in Missoula County, Montana

• Overview

  The Missoula County end of Montana holds Crazy Fish Lake. The surface lies 6,604 feet up. At 13 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. The nearest place of any size is Bonner-West Riverside, 15 miles away. After that come East Missoula at 16 miles and Missoula at 16 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Crazy Fish 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. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Missoula County cover rainbow trout, brook trout, cutthroat trout and northern pike. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Fish Crazy Fish Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  August is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 55°F, while December sits near 19°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. On average, early May opens the water and mid November closes it again. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. On Crazy Fish Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Failing this one, try Lake Sa-ol-Sooth, 0.9 miles away. Rules at Crazy Fish Lake are worth checking on the day.