Fishing Season: Check Montana FWP regulations.

Georgetown Lake - MT

Fishing Outlook & Conditions

Water Temp:

32

Blackfoot River Outfitters's Tip of the Week

Ice

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Map of Georgetown Lake

Orvis-Endorsed guides nearby

Blackfoot River Outfitters
Blue Damsel Lodge

5-Day Outlook as of 1/28/26

It’s going to be a grey, wintry week near Philipsburg, with highs generally hovering in the mid-30s to low 40s and a nagging chance of light snow flurries each day. While the winds will be light (mostly under 10 mph), shelf ice is a major factor on these smaller waters right now, so you'll need to hunt carefully for open pockets. If you do head out, focus on the deeper runs where the water is moving just enough to stay liquid, but be prepared for technical, frozen conditions.

Techniques & Tips as of 1/28/26

Ice fishing. Swedish pimples, balanced leeches and jigs.

Local Species Available Check Montana FWP regulations.

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    Rainbow and Brook Trout

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    Kokanee Salmon

Blackfoot River Outfitters's Recommended Fly Patterns

"Must-have" fly fishing patterns in descending order of importance:

Name: Colors: Size(s):
Zebra midge black/red, black/ 12-14
Egg Pattern Orange 12-14
Adams 14
Balance leech olive 10-12
Jig Mini Bugger olive 12

Zebra midge

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Blackfoot River Outfitters's Recommended Gear

Description: About Georgetown Lake

Georgetown Lake is Montana’s premier flatwater fishery. Rimmed by the Anaconda Mountains (aka Pintlers), it’s also among the state’s most beautiful. But the real attraction is rainbow trout in the 16"- 26" range. Yes, we said 26" rainbows. As if these giant rainbows weren’t enough – there are numbers of brook trout over 16” and many exceeding 20”! You don’t need to travel to Labrador to see fish like this – they live here - and plenty of them. The special regulations imposed now over a decade ago, continue to pay huge dividends. Much of the lake shore is closed to fishing before July 1st to maximize rainbows’ opportunity to grow well into maturity and you must return all brookies to the water immediately. As the water warms in June, these leviathans fresh off the spawn gorge themselves on damsel fly nymphs, leaches, crane fly larva, scuds and midge pupa. Pitch small buggers and leaches to single cruisers and across spring holes through the month. Later in July, continuing on into September, you can fish a nymph or streamer but try sight fishing to them in just inches to a few feet of water. If you’re a saltwater angler, it will remind you of polling the flats scanning for bones, but instead of them rooting out crabs they are toilet bowling dries on the surface. Blanketing damsel fly hatches, early morning callibaetis, gulping midge clusters and the giant olive sedge skating across the water just before dark are the occurrences you don’t want to miss! There is nothing else quite like it in Montana.

Nearest Airport:

Missoula International Airport (MSO)

Hatches:

Callibaetis, damselflies, traveling sedge, midges, smaller caddis

Best Time to Fish:

Afternoons

Best Stretch:

Comers point, Rainbow Bay, Philipsburg Bay. Be sure to check FWP Fishing regulations for the SE shoreline closure.

Best Access:

Comers point, Rainbow Bay, Philipsburg Bay. Be sure to check FWP Fishing regulations for the SE shoreline closure.