Fishing at Lower Arch Lake, Carbon County, Montana

• Overview

  In Montana, Lower Arch Lake belongs to Carbon County. The land about it is mixed forest. It covers about 22 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Compared with other Montana water on our list, it sits high. Head to Red Lodge, 23 miles away, for anything you forgot. Absarokee is 28 miles away, with Columbus at 40 miles. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lower Arch Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. County-wide records name rainbow trout, brook trout, sauger and walleye. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Read Lower Arch Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year August sits at 49°F and January at 14°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. The lid usually goes in early June, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. The lid tends to go about early June and return around early November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. At Lower Arch Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. If the gate is shut, Little Arch Lake at 0.7 miles is the nearest alternative. Confirm before you fish Lower Arch Lake.