Fly Fishing Montana: Goose Lake
Updated: Jan 21, 2021
Goose lake is located just north of the famous Duck lake on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana. You can see from the picture and the map this is close to Glacier National Park. Just east of the Park, so the mountains are often part of the spectacular view, and add immensely to the overall experience. The elevation is about 5000 feet and being so close to the mountains it is often very windy. There are often Grizzly bears in this area.
When: Late May
Ice out varies with the year, but is typically sometime in April. Call a local guide or fly shop for details each year. From ice out through June can be the best fishing of the year. In the video above, we are fishing in late May which was during the Cutthroat false-spawn so the fish were coming into the shallows. We fished other lakes during this time and hit the tail end of the Rainbow false-spawn. Of course, the toughest time is in the heat of the summer and the fishing again picks up in the Fall. We have not fished this lake in the Fall but have been told it can be very good. Again, try to get a local report before heading out.
As you will see from the show, the road into Goose lake is definitely a four-wheel drive road. Sometimes it is not passable even with four-wheel drive, so again, get some local information for current conditions.
Early in the season shore fishing works fine, but later personal watercraft would be necessary. The Dogfish boat is a great option or a standard pontoon boat.
Equipment: These fish range from 2 - 4 pounds so a standard nine-foot five weight rods is fine unless it is really windy. We fished dry lines and strike indicators with Prince nymphs and rubber-tail leeches at various depths below the indicator. We also used intermediate sink lines stripping Woolly Buggers. Always wear eye protection.
