Weed Lake Fishing near Bigfork, Montana

• Overview

  The Lake County end of Montana holds Weed Lake. It lies 4,409 feet above sea level. At 9 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Bigfork at 11 miles is the nearest place to stop. Lethbridge sits 129 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 Weed Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Across Lake County, recorded fish include rainbow trout, sockeye salmon, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and largemouth bass. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Fish Weed Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 22°F and August at about 62°F, the water has a wide range to work through. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Once it clears, about early April, the fishing comes on quickly. Break-up near early April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Anyone fishing Weed Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Swan Lake, 1.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing on Weed Lake should be assumed from this page alone.