Emerald Lake, Montana: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Emerald Lake lies in Deer Lodge County, Montana. Elevation runs to 8,960 feet. It covers about 5 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Anaconda is the closest town at 18 miles. Warm Springs is 26 miles away, with Butte at 36 miles. Nearest other option: LaMarche Lake within 1.4 miles, Upper Seymour Lake 1.4 miles away, Flower Lake within 2.2 miles, Page Lake 2.3 miles away and Storm Lake within 3.8 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Emerald Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. 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. Open biodiversity records for Deer Lodge County list rainbow trout, brook trout, Arctic grayling and brown trout. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. On Emerald Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 51°F and December near 17°F. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Ice-out usually falls in late May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Averages place the thaw at late May and the freeze at early November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. The season on Emerald Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. The nearest alternative is LaMarche Lake, 1.4 miles out. Where Emerald Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.