Heart Lake Fishing near Red Lodge, Montana

• Overview

  You will find Heart Lake in Carbon County, Montana. The bank is 10,315 feet above sea level. Roughly 41 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Size puts it in the front rank of our Carbon County list. Nearest town is Red Lodge, 20 miles off. Beyond it, Absarokee at 37 miles and Cody at 39 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Heart Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Records held for Carbon County cover rainbow trout, brook trout, sauger, walleye and channel catfish. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Heart Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 49°F in August and bottom out at 14°F in January. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Once it clears, about early June, the fishing comes on quickly. The season between ice runs from about early June to early November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Heart Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. High Lakes Wilderness Study Area covers ground next to the water; its rules will apply on that side. 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. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. For a change of water, Emerald Lake is 1.2 miles distant. Ask locally about Heart Lake if anything is unclear.