Mulkey Lake Fishing Guide, Beaverhead County, Montana

• Overview

  Set in Beaverhead County, Montana, this is Mulkey Lake. The water sits 6,552 feet up. At 18 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. The town to know is Salmon, 24 miles out. Dillon is 42 miles and Anaconda 59 miles. Nearby, in order: Ice Pond out at 2.6 miles, Blanchard Pond lies 5.8 miles on, Van Houten Lake out at 7.8 miles, Heart Lake lies 10 miles on and Ridge Lake out at 11 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Mulkey Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Records held for Beaverhead County cover rainbow trout, brook trout, brown trout, cutthroat trout and Arctic grayling. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Mulkey Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 57°F at the top of summer and 17°F at the bottom of winter. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Ice is part of the season here, ending near late April. The lid tends to go about late April and return around mid November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Mulkey Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. 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 space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Failing this one, try Ice Pond, 2.6 miles away. Treat access at Mulkey Lake as something to verify.