Fishing at Lick Lake, Lincoln County, Montana

• Overview

  In Montana, Lick Lake falls inside Lincoln County. Elevation runs to 3,084 feet. The water measures roughly 24 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Head to Eureka, 5.8 miles away, for anything you forgot. Lethbridge sits 112 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lick Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Lincoln County cover rainbow trout, sockeye salmon, brook trout, northern pike and largemouth bass. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. At Lick Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 21°F to 63°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late March. Climate figures give an open season running late March to late November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Lick Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Glen Creek sits 0.7 miles off and takes the overflow. Treat access at Lick Lake as something to verify.