Lake of the Isle Fishing Guide, Deer Lodge County, Montana

• Overview

  The Deer Lodge County end of Montana holds Lake of the Isle. Rolling bush runs right down to the water. Small at around 12 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Anaconda is the closest place, 12 miles off. It is 225 miles to Boise, the nearest city. Not far off: 1.3 miles out stands Twin Lakes, Miller Lake 2.2 miles, 3.7 miles out stands Barker Lakes, Storm Lake 3.7 miles and 4.7 miles out stands Upper Seymour Lake. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lake of the Isle

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. County-wide records name rainbow trout, brook trout and Arctic grayling. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Anyone new to Lake of the Isle should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 16°F in December to roughly 52°F in July. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Ice-out usually falls in late May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The lid tends to go about late May and return around early November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Lake of the Isle.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Twin Lakes, 1.3 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the current arrangement for Lake of the Isle.