Fishing at Pray Lake, Glacier County, Montana

• Overview

  Pray Lake lies in Glacier County, Montana. Beyond the shoreline you have mixed forest. At 9 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Most waters listed here for Glacier County are larger. Head to South Browning, 17 miles away, for anything you forgot. Further out sit Browning (17 miles) and North Browning (17 miles). There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Pray Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Glacier County records list brook trout, northern pike and longnose sucker among the fish reported. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. At Pray Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 56°F in August and bottom out at 17°F in January. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. The lid usually goes in early May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Averages place the thaw at early May and the freeze at mid November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. At Pray Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. There is a car park 160 yards from the bank. Overnight stays are possible half a mile away. Mapping shows a picnic spot within half a mile. A toilet block sits half a mile away. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Should this one be busy, Sky Lake is 0.9 miles off. Check the position at Pray Lake before loading the car.