Schwinegar Lake Fishing Guide, Beaverhead County, Montana

• Overview

  Beaverhead County, Montana, is where Schwinegar Lake sits. The setting is mixed forest on every side. At 4 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. It is a small entry by Beaverhead County standards. Supplies mean a trip to Dillon, 39 miles off. Boise sits 199 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Schwinegar Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Reported across Beaverhead County: rainbow trout, brook trout and brown trout. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On Schwinegar Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 53°F at the top of summer and 18°F at the bottom of winter. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid May. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about mid May until roughly early November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Schwinegar Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. The nearest alternative is Lake of the Woods, 0.5 miles out. For Schwinegar Lake in particular, ask before you travel.