Fishing at South Kootenai Lake, Ravalli County, Montana

• Overview

  South Kootenai Lake is listed under Ravalli County, Montana. The bank is 6,234 feet above sea level. Around 28 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. Few waters listed in Ravalli County are bigger. Start from Stevensville, 11 miles down the road. Spokane sits 165 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on South Kootenai Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Records held for Ravalli County cover rainbow trout, cutthroat trout and brook trout. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. At South Kootenai Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 18°F in December and 55°F in August. Winter shuts the surface down for months. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid May. Averages place the thaw at mid May and the freeze at mid November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. The season on South Kootenai Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. 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. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. For a change of water, Middle Fork Lakes is 0.9 miles distant. Treat South Kootenai Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.