Reservoir · Mixed · Montana, US

Georgetown Lake

Wide calm view of Georgetown Lake with forested hills in the Pintler region of Montana

Georgetown Lake sits high in the mountains between Anaconda and Philipsburg, a shallow, weedy, rich reservoir that grows fat rainbows and brook trout and fishes hard both summer and through the ice.

Fair · Rainbow
Balanced Leech · 8-12
Fairlive now
Reasonable autumn fishing likely at Georgetown Lake
Glassy and bright — hard work without a breeze. Hard work without breeze. Look for the dimples.
56% confidence

Georgetown Lake is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindSE 4 km/hCalm · Gusts to 9 km/h
Today's fly
Balanced Leech
Balanced Leech8-12
Proven pattern for this period
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Calm · Gusts to 9 km/h
SE 4 km/h
N
SE
from the south-east
WaveFlat calm
Water temp9.5°C
Air temp3°C
CloudClear
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

How to fish it · for Rainbow
When
Early summer damsel and Callibaetis; chironomid spring and autumn
Where
Start with Balanced Leech (8-12) on a As per local method. Rainbows respond to more active retrieves — try short strips between pauses. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.
The plan
Plan A

Start with Balanced Leech (8-12) on a As per local method. Rainbows respond to more active retrieves — try short strips between pauses. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.

Plan B

A fry-imitating pattern stripped through the margins can save a blank in autumn.

Watch for

Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.

Bank

Flat calm suits bank fishing near features — points, weed beds, and inflows where fish patrol.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Supporters see the full sub-surface read.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 as a supporter.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Gray DrakeHatch
2
2
CallibaetisHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Hexagenia (Western)Hatch
2
2
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Rainbow fly box
CH
Chironomid
12-16 · Pattern
Proven pattern for this period
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Montana stillwater regulations — check FWP.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
52%
Cloud25%
Wind65%
Temp60%

A reasonable day here, though cloud isn't quite in the sweet spot.

Fishing better nearby · 1
Clark Fork
55 km
77
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Wide calm view of Georgetown Lake with forested hills in the Pintler region of Montana
    Georgetown Lake, Granite County, Montana
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Georgetown Lake sits high in the mountains between Anaconda and Philipsburg, a shallow, weedy, rich reservoir that grows fat rainbows and brook trout and fishes hard both summer and through the ice. It's a damsel, scud, and chironomid lake, classic stillwater country where you anchor over the weed beds and watch an indicator or hang a chironomid in the film. It can get crowded with boats on a summer weekend, but on a quiet morning with the Pintlers reflected in the calm, it's about as pretty a place to fish as Montana offers.

  • Reservoir
  • Mixed
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Supporting
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Georgetown Lake' (MT76E005_010), 2021 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Fully Supporting. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · MT76E005_010

Why this score
  • autumn conditions with clear skies and calm wind.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Big Stillwater Playbookreservoir tacticsReservoir Entomologymatching the hatchThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperature
Booking & contacts