Echo Lake Fishing near Bigfork, Montana

• Overview

  Echo Lake sits within Flathead County in Montana. The surroundings are mixed forest. About 880 acres, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. Some 9.2 miles of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. On our Flathead County list it sits near the top for size. Nearest place of any size is Bigfork, 4.6 miles away. Somers follows at 8.9 miles, then Lakeside at 11 miles. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Echo Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Public occurrence data for Flathead County names rainbow trout, sockeye salmon, largemouth bass, brook trout and yellow perch. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Echo Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 64°F, the coldest about 23°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Once it clears, about late March, the fishing comes on quickly. Averages place the thaw at late March and the freeze at early December. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Plan around that when you fish Echo Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Parking within half a mile means no long carry with tackle. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Echo Creek is 1.1 miles off. Nothing here settles the position at Echo Lake for certain.