Rubble Lake, Montana: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Rubble Lake is a Missoula County water, Montana side. Land around it is pine and birch. Surface area runs to about 15 acres — small enough to read in one session. Seeley Lake is the closest place, 22 miles off. For a city, Lethbridge is 156 miles off. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water. The country round the bank is quiet, with little traffic on the road in.

• Where to Fish on Rubble Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Public occurrence data for Missoula County names rainbow trout, brook trout, cutthroat trout, northern pike and sockeye salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Rubble Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 18°F in December to roughly 56°F in August. Winter shuts the surface down for months. After early May the shallows warm and the fish move up. Averages suggest open water from about early May through to roughly mid November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Plan any trip to Rubble Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. 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. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Should this one be busy, Woodward Lake is 1.1 miles off. Confirm before you fish Rubble Lake.