Fitzpatrick Lake Fishing in Park County, Montana

• Overview

  The Park County entry here is Fitzpatrick Lake, in Montana. The land about it is pine and birch. This is a pocket water of some 5 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. The nearest place of any size is Livingston, 9.8 miles away. Billings is the closest city, 90 miles away. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Fitzpatrick Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Public occurrence data for Park County names rainbow trout, brook trout, california golden trout and brown trout. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Take Fitzpatrick Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 63°F and January near 25°F on the long-run figures. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early April and starts locking again about early December. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Plan around that when you fish Fitzpatrick Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Horseshoe Lake at 6 miles is the sensible second choice. Where Fitzpatrick Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.