Fishing Pear Lake in Beaverhead County, Montana

• Overview

  Pear Lake is listed under Beaverhead County, Montana. It stands 8,684 feet above sea level. Surface area is around 34 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. On our Beaverhead County list it sits near the top for size. Head to Dillon, 23 miles away, for anything you forgot. After that come Butte at 46 miles and Salmon at 47 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Pear Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Public occurrence data for Beaverhead County names rainbow trout, brook trout, brown trout, cutthroat trout and Arctic grayling. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. On Pear Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 51°F in July and bottom out at 18°F in December. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late May. In an average year the thaw lands around late May and the freeze near early November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. On Pear Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, May Lake is 0.3 miles distant. Ask locally about Pear Lake if anything is unclear.