Fishing Striped Elk Lake in Flathead County, Montana

• Overview

  Striped Elk Lake is set in Flathead County, Montana. It sits at 6,286 feet above sea level. It measures about 30 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Start from South Browning, 25 miles down the road. It is 95 miles to Lethbridge, the nearest city. Others worth noting: Lake Isabel 2 miles away, Aurice Lake some 4 miles off, Cobalt Lake 5 miles away, Upper Two Medicine Lake some 5.3 miles off and Ole Lake 5.7 miles away. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Striped Elk Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Reported across Flathead County: 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. Striped Elk Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give August about 57°F and January about 17°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from early May. The season between ice runs from about early May to mid November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Striped Elk Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. For a change of water, Lake Isabel is 2 miles distant. For Striped Elk Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.