Skags Lake in Lake County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Skags Lake sits in Lake County, out in Montana. It stands 3,944 feet above sea level. With some 41 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. A shoreline of some 1.2 miles keeps the choices simple. Nearest place of any size is Lakeside, 8.4 miles away. Somers is 12 miles and Bigfork 15 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Skags Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Reported across Lake County: rainbow trout, sockeye salmon and smallmouth bass. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Skags Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect August near 65°F and January near 26°F on the long-run figures. The calendar is generous: something works in nearly every month. Hard water here is never dependable, so check for yourself before stepping out. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. Anyone fishing Skags Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. For a change of water, Row Lake is 0.9 miles distant. Rules at Skags Lake are worth checking on the day.