Madden Lake Fishing in Lincoln County, Montana

• Overview

  Madden Lake lies in Lincoln County, Montana. It lies 2,848 feet above sea level. Small at around 14 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. It lies lower than most water we list in Montana. Eureka sits 3.8 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Lethbridge is the closest city, 119 miles away. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Madden Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Survey and observation records for Lincoln County include rainbow trout, sockeye salmon, brook trout and northern pike. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Read Madden Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical August readings run about 64°F; by January the average is down near 22°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Ice-out usually falls in late March, and the weeks after it fish hardest. In an average year the thaw lands around late March and the freeze near early December. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Plan any trip to Madden Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. The nearest mapped parking is half a mile away, so the last stretch is on foot. Mapping shows a campsite some half a mile from the water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. O'Brien Lake sits 0.6 miles off and takes the overflow. None of that is settled for Madden Lake in what we hold.