Smith Lake Fishing near Whitefish, Montana

• Overview

  Smith Lake is set in Flathead County, Montana. The country here is lake country bush. This is a pocket water of some 16 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. The town to know is Whitefish, 7.1 miles out. The nearest city of size is Lethbridge, 111 miles away. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Smith Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. County-wide records name rainbow trout, sockeye salmon, largemouth bass and brook trout. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. On Smith Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 21°F and August at about 63°F, the water has a wide range to work through. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Winter locks it down, and early April brings it back. Ice clears near early April and comes back about late November in a typical year. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. On Smith Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Parking within half a mile means no long carry with tackle. Facilities include toilets around half a mile from here. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. If the gate is shut, Thornberg Lake at 2.2 miles is the nearest alternative. Where Smith Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.