Hopkin Lake Fishing in Beaverhead County, Montana

• Overview

  In Montana, Hopkin Lake belongs to Beaverhead County. It lies 8,888 feet above sea level. Small at around 12 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Dillon sits 26 miles from the bank. After that come Butte at 45 miles and Salmon at 46 miles. Not far off: Hall Lake (0.4 miles), Elkhorn Lake at 0.9 miles, Sawtooth Lake (2.1 miles), Glacier Lake at 2.2 miles and Anchor Lake (2.7 miles). No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Hopkin Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. County-wide records name rainbow trout, brook trout, brown trout and cutthroat trout. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. On Hopkin Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 17°F in December up to 52°F in July. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Count the season from break-up, usually late May. Averages place the thaw at late May and the freeze at early November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. That is the shape of the year on Hopkin Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. 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. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. For a change of water, Hall Lake is 0.4 miles distant. Nothing here settles the position at Hopkin Lake for certain.