Widewater Lake Fishing Guide, Park County, Montana

• Overview

  Montana holds Widewater Lake, in Park County. It lies 8,015 feet above sea level. It runs to roughly 167 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Around 2.2 miles of margin, front to back. Few waters listed in Park County are bigger. Red Lodge is the closest place, 29 miles off. The nearest city of size is Billings, 81 miles away. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Widewater Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Species logged across Park County include rainbow trout, brook trout, california golden trout, brown trout and black-spotted cutthroat trout. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Widewater Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 52°F and January about 16°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Ice-out usually falls in late May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Averages place the thaw at late May and the freeze at early November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. On Widewater Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. For a change of water, Big Moose Lake is 1.2 miles distant. For Widewater Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.