Lake Mary in Carbon County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lake Mary is a Carbon County water, in Montana. The water sits 9,941 feet up. This is a pocket water of some 8 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. It is high ground by Montana standards. Nearest town is Red Lodge, 16 miles off. After that come Absarokee at 26 miles and Columbus at 37 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Lake Mary

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Survey and observation records for Carbon County include rainbow trout, brook trout, sauger and walleye. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Lake Mary responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 15°F in January up to 48°F in August. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near mid June. Expect the water usable from around mid June until roughly early November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Plan around that when you fish Lake Mary.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Senal Lake, 1.3 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing on Lake Mary should be assumed from this page alone.