Foolhen Lake Fishing in Deer Lodge County, Montana

• Overview

  Out in Deer Lodge County, Montana, sits Foolhen Lake. It sits in lake country bush country. The water measures roughly 9 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Nearest place of any size is Anaconda, 24 miles away. The nearest city of size is Boise, 214 miles away. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Foolhen Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Reported across Deer Lodge County: rainbow trout, brook trout and Arctic grayling. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Foolhen Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 53°F and December reads 19°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Winter locks it down, and mid May brings it back. Ice usually gives way near mid May, and forms again about mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. On Foolhen Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Should this one be busy, Ferguson Lake is 1.2 miles off. The position on Foolhen Lake is worth confirming on the day.