Lost Lake in Stillwater County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  This water sits in Stillwater County, Montana. It lies 6,660 feet above sea level. Surface area runs to about 3 acres — small enough to read in one session. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Stillwater County. The nearest place of any size is Absarokee, 18 miles away. Red Lodge is 26 miles away, with Columbus at 30 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Lost Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Reported across Stillwater County: rainbow trout, california golden trout, brown trout, brook trout and black crappie. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Work Lost Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  August is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 63°F, while January sits near 26°F. Ice comes and goes from one year to the next. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. The hot months push the fishing to dawn and dusk. The season on Lost Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. If the gate is shut, Twin Lakes at 1.6 miles is the nearest alternative. Confirm before you fish Lost Lake.