Fishing at Little Fish Lake, Ravalli County, Montana

• Overview

  Ravalli County, Montana, is where Little Fish Lake sits. The bank gives way to mixed forest. Surface area runs to about 6 acres — small enough to read in one session. It is a small entry by Ravalli County standards. The nearest town is Hamilton, 25 miles away. For a city, Spokane is 208 miles off. Within a short run: Medicine Lake (2.8 miles), Whetstone Lake at 3.2 miles, Green Canyon Lake (3.2 miles), Shadow Lake at 4.8 miles and Lake Abundance (5.2 miles). No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Little Fish Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Open biodiversity records for Ravalli County list rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, brook trout and brown trout. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Treat Little Fish Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 55°F, the coldest about 19°F. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from early May. Ice clears near early May and comes back about mid November in a typical year. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Plan any trip to Little Fish Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Should this one be busy, Medicine Lake is 2.8 miles off. None of that is settled for Little Fish Lake in what we hold.