Smith Lake Fishing in Madison County, Montana

• Overview

  Smith Lake is one of the Madison County waters in Montana. The bank is 6,056 feet above sea level. About 3 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. It is a small entry by Madison County standards. 27 miles away sits West Yellowstone, the nearest town. Big Sky is 32 miles away, with Ashton at 54 miles. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Smith Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Fish documented in Madison County include rainbow trout, brown trout, mountain whitefish, brook trout and california golden trout. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Smith Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 59°F and January near 16°F on the long-run figures. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late April. The lid tends to go about late April and return around mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Smith Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Wade Lake, 2.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat Smith Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.