Saint Marys Lake Fishing Guide, Lake County, Montana

• Overview

  Saint Marys Lake belongs to Lake County, Montana. The bank is 4,022 feet above sea level. At 272 acres this is proper open water rather than a pond. It ranks high for size among our Lake County listings. Ronan sits 20 miles from here and is the nearest stop. The big place round here is Spokane, 166 miles distant. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Saint Marys Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Records held for Lake County cover rainbow trout, sockeye salmon, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and largemouth bass. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. At Saint Marys Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 22°F in January up to 60°F in August. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid April. The lid tends to go about mid April and return around late November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. The season on Saint Marys Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. A car park lies half a mile away, so the walk in is short. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. The nearest alternative is Twin Lakes, 1.4 miles out. Check the position on Saint Marys Lake before loading the car.