Deep Lake in Madison County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Madison County in Montana is where Deep Lake sits. Lake country bush runs right down to the water. The water measures roughly 11 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Whitehall lies 19 miles from the water. Then Three Forks, 29 miles, and Manhattan, 36 miles. Round about: 0.2 miles out stands Skytop Lake, Hollow Top Lake lies 0.4 miles on, 1.1 miles out stands Upper Mason Lake, Louise Lake lies 2.9 miles on and 3 miles out stands Bismark Reservoir. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Deep Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Madison County records list rainbow trout, brown trout and mountain whitefish among the fish reported. The county list is broader than any single water. Read Deep Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 55°F and January reads 21°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Count the season from break-up, usually mid May. Climate figures give an open season running mid May to mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Time your trip to Deep Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. If the gate is shut, Skytop Lake at 0.2 miles is the nearest alternative. Treat Deep Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.