Duck Lake in Roosevelt County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Duck Lake belongs to Roosevelt County, Montana. Height above sea level is 2,169 feet. With some 74 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. It lies lower than most water we list in Montana. For a base, Plentywood sits 31 miles out. Williston is 36 miles away, with Sidney at 44 miles. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Duck Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Roosevelt County cover largemouth bass, common carp, northern pike and rainbow trout. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On Duck Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 9°F and July at about 70°F, the water has a wide range to work through. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Winter locks it down, and early April brings it back. The open-water window runs from around early April to about late November in an average year. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Plan any trip to Duck Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. This one is mapped as intermittent, so a wasted trip is a real risk in a dry year. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Capeneys Lake, 8.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing here settles the position at Duck Lake for certain.