Fishing at Knowles Lake, Sanders County, Montana

• Overview

  Knowles Lake stands in Sanders County, Montana. The setting is mixed forest on every side. On water this small, stealth matters more than range. Our Sanders County list holds plenty of bigger water. The nearest place of any size is Thompson Falls, 7.1 miles away. For a city, Spokane is 100 miles off. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Knowles Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. 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. Survey and observation records for Sanders County include rainbow trout, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and northern pike. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Fish Knowles Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  August is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 56°F, while December sits near 20°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around late April. The water is typically free of ice between late April and mid November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. The season on Knowles Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Frog Lake at 0.2 miles is the sensible second choice. Check the current arrangement for Knowles Lake.