Donelson Lake in Carbon County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Donelson Lake is listed under Carbon County, Montana. Mixed forest runs right down to the water. About 19 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Compared with other Montana water on our list, it sits high. The town to know is Red Lodge, 20 miles out. For a city, Billings is 75 miles off. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Donelson Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Public occurrence data for Carbon County names rainbow trout, brook trout and sauger. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Donelson Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 13°F in January and 47°F in August. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Ice is part of the season here, ending near mid June. The open-water window runs from around mid June to about late October in an average year. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Time your trip to Donelson Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Maryott Lake, 0.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm before you fish Donelson Lake.