Elbow Lake in Powell County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Elbow Lake sits in Powell County, out in Montana. The setting is pine and birch. This is a pocket water of some 13 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Deer Lodge at 14 miles is the nearest place to stop. It is 221 miles to Billings, the nearest city. The line between counties passes nearby, which can change who manages the water.

• Where to Fish on Elbow Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Species logged across Powell County include rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout and northern pike. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Elbow Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 18°F in December to roughly 53°F in August. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly mid May. Break-up sits around mid May on average, with the water closing again about early November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. At Elbow Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. If the gate is shut, Trask Lakes at 0.7 miles is the nearest alternative. Treat Elbow Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.