Palisade Lake Fishing Guide, Lake County, Montana

• Overview

  Palisade Lake sits within Lake County in Montana. The water sits 6,178 feet up. It measures about 28 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. 26 miles away sits Pablo, the nearest town. Further out sit Ronan (27 miles) and Polson (27 miles). Water in the same corner: Sunburst Lake 3.7 miles away, Recluse Lake after 4.7 miles, Olor Lake 5 miles away, Pony Lake after 5.5 miles and Cat Lake 6 miles away. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Palisade Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. 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. Records held for Lake County cover rainbow trout, sockeye salmon, smallmouth bass and yellow perch. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Palisade Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect August near 56°F and January near 18°F on the long-run figures. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early May. Expect the water usable from around early May until roughly mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. The season on Palisade Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Failing this one, try Sunburst Lake, 3.7 miles away. Treat access at Palisade Lake as something to verify.