Loco Lake Fishing Guide, Lake County, Montana

• Overview

  Within Lake County, Montana, you have Loco Lake. It lies 6,542 feet above sea level. This is a pocket water of some 6 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Our Lake County list holds plenty of bigger water. Nearest town is Ronan, 14 miles off. Pablo is 18 miles and Seeley Lake 23 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Loco Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Records held for Lake County cover rainbow trout, sockeye salmon and smallmouth bass. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Treat Loco Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 54°F in August and bottom out at 16°F in December. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid May. Climate averages put the opening at about mid May and the closing near early November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Anyone fishing Loco Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Cheff Lake sits 0.7 miles off and takes the overflow. Ask locally about Loco Lake if anything is unclear.