Margaret Lake Fishing Guide, Flathead County, Montana

• Overview

  This water sits in Flathead County, Montana. The setting is mixed forest. With some 48 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. About 1.0 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. Bigfork lies 12 miles from the water. Beyond it, Somers at 19 miles and Lakeside at 20 miles. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Margaret Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Records held for Flathead County cover rainbow trout, sockeye salmon, largemouth bass, brook trout and yellow perch. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. At Margaret Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 60°F for August and 20°F for January. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid April and starts locking again about late November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Margaret Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Big Hawk Lake sits 2.4 miles off and takes the overflow. Where Margaret Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.