Fishing at Stewart Lake, Beaverhead County, Montana

• Overview

  Stewart Lake lies within the bounds of Beaverhead County, Montana. The setting is pine and birch. The town to know is Dillon, 37 miles out. For a city, Boise is 195 miles off. Close neighbours run: Bear Lake a shade over 1.6 miles, Odell Lake within 4.3 miles, Elbow Lake a shade over 4.7 miles, Lake of the Woods within 4.7 miles and Schwinegar Lake a shade over 4.8 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Stewart Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Beaverhead County records list rainbow trout, brook trout, brown trout and cutthroat trout among the fish reported. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. On Stewart Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 53°F in July and bottoms out near 18°F in December. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. The lid usually goes in mid May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. The water is typically free of ice between mid May and mid November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Stewart Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Should this one be busy, Bear Lake is 1.6 miles off. What applies at Stewart Lake may have changed since it was mapped.