Private Reservoir Fishing Guide, Phillips County, Montana

• Overview

  Set in Phillips County, Montana, this is Private Reservoir. The water sits 2,884 feet up. Small at around 11 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Our Phillips County list holds plenty of bigger water. Malta is the closest town at 45 miles. Then Fort Belknap Agency, 54 miles, and Chinook, 71 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Private Reservoir

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. Across Phillips County, recorded fish include black crappie, northern pike, rainbow trout and walleye. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Private Reservoir gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 69°F and January near 18°F. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Ice-out usually falls in early April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Averages suggest open water from about early April through to roughly late November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Private Reservoir.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. The nearest alternative is Sagebrush Reservoir, 7.3 miles out. What applies at Private Reservoir may have changed since it was mapped.