Image Lake Fishing in Sanders County, Montana

• Overview

  You will find Image Lake in Sanders County, Montana. The country here is pine and birch. At 5 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Thompson Falls sits 12 miles from the bank. Further out sit Plains (28 miles) and Osburn (37 miles). In the same area: Terrace Lake about 1.7 miles, Carbine Lake (2 miles), Stony Lake about 2.2 miles, Lawn Lake (2.7 miles) and Graves Lake about 3 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Image Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Sanders County include rainbow trout, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike and sockeye salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Take Image Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 58°F in August and bottoms out near 21°F in January. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. From about late April to around mid November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Image Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Terrace Lake, 1.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Ask locally about Image Lake if anything is unclear.