Fishing at Martin Lake, Carbon County, Montana

• Overview

  In Montana, Martin Lake belongs to Carbon County. The bank is 9,652 feet above sea level. Around 32 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Montana listings. Some 22 miles away sits Red Lodge, the nearest settlement. Absarokee is 35 miles and Cody 45 miles. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Martin Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Public occurrence data for Carbon County names rainbow trout, brook trout, sauger, walleye and channel catfish. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Martin Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical August readings run about 47°F; by January the average is down near 13°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Winter locks it down, and mid June brings it back. From about mid June to around late October, expect open water on the long-run figures. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Anyone fishing Martin Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Wright Lake, 0.3 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat Martin Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.