Porcupine Lake Fishing Guide, Sanders County, Montana

• Overview

  Out in Sanders County, Montana, sits Porcupine Lake. The surroundings are lake country bush. Small at around 5 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Thompson Falls at 7.6 miles is the nearest place to stop. Plains lies 25 miles off, Osburn another 36 miles. Not far off: Frog Lake within 0.3 miles, Grass Lake about 0.4 miles, Knowles Lake within 0.5 miles, Cabin Lake about 0.6 miles and Graves Lake within 1.4 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Porcupine Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. County-wide records name rainbow trout, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and northern pike. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. On Porcupine Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, August reads 56°F and December reads 20°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. Open water usually runs from late April until about mid November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Time your trip to Porcupine Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Frog Lake is 0.3 miles off. Nothing on Porcupine Lake should be assumed from this page alone.