Echo Lake is a lake in Montana, near Flathead County.
Stocking records show that the following fish or strains were stocked here. A historical stocking does not by itself prove that a self-sustaining population remains today.
Echo Lake in Flathead County is a lake in Montana and covers about 695.2 acres.
Several patterns can work at once on Echo Lake, especially when wind separates clear water from dirty water.
This Echo Lake near Bigfork is a warm, productive lake with largemouth bass, northern pike, kokanee, perch, pumpkinseed, and rainbow trout.
Use weedless plastics for largemouth, large moving baits for pike, tiny jigs for perch or pumpkinseed, and troll open water for kokanee or trout.
Warm shallow bays and weed growth make this a poor copy of nearby deep Flathead Lake. The Swan River connection and clean outside weed edge are better starting clues than maximum depth.
Give largemouth bass, northern pike, kokanee salmon and yellow perch separate passes at Echo Lake when they use different water. Beside the clearer side of a firm-bottom flat, a lure set for one target should not be dragged through every point, weed edge, and stretch of open water.
Across the quiet end of a protected bank, after two bites, note the wind, water color, depth, and bottom. Use that short pattern on the next matching feature instead of starting over on the far side of Echo Lake.
Beside the first edge of the first drop, before making a long move, change lure depth or speed once near the best spot. This quick test can show whether fish simply moved a few feet or that part of Echo Lake has gone quiet.
Fish listed for Echo Lake include Brook Trout, Kokanee Salmon, Lake Whitefish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Pumpkinseed, Rainbow Trout, and Yellow Perch.
Beside the quiet end of a main-lake point, keep a small jig tipped with a worm or minnow close to bottom on a shelf for yellow perch.
Along the narrow end of a firm-bottom hump, cover weeds, shallow points, and flat edges with a spoon or sturdy minnow lure for northern pike.
Around the deep side of a rocky point, work a soft plastic, jig, or spinnerbait around weeds and protected cover for largemouth bass.
Beside the quiet end of a channel turn, cast a small spoon, inline spinner, light jig, or fly through cool water for rainbow trout.
Other targets listed here include Lake Whitefish; give each one its own bait and depth instead of trying to catch everything with the same rig.
Near the shaded side of a narrow arm, start where two things meet: weeds and open water, rock and mud, a point and a drop, or clear water and dirty water; fish that edge at more than one depth before leaving it.
Along the sheltered edge of a firm-bottom flat, early in the year, protected water and the first warm afternoon can be the best clues; as the water heats up, check deeper edges without assuming every fish is on the bottom; cooling fall water often makes points and firm banks useful again.
Beside the deep corner of a narrow arm, a medium spinning rod with 8- to 10-pound line handles most jigs and small casting baits; add a stronger outfit and a proper leader when northern pike are the target.
Near the windward edge of the old channel, record the wind, water color, depth that held fish, and cover after a bite; those four notes are more useful on the next trip than a long list of spots that did not produce.
Along the calm side of a firm-bottom flat, keep the first hour simple: use one moving bait to find active fish, slow down with a jig or natural bait on the best edge, and repeat the same setup when two bites come from matching depth and bottom during that part of the trip.
The main difference is this: This Echo Lake near Bigfork is a warm, productive lake with largemouth bass, northern pike, kokanee, perch, pumpkinseed, and rainbow trout.
A good first plan is simple: use weedless plastics for largemouth, large moving baits for pike, tiny jigs for perch or pumpkinseed, and troll open water for kokanee or trout.
Watch this closely: Warm shallow bays and weed growth make this a poor copy of nearby deep Flathead Lake.
Explore nearby waters, including local Featured destinations. Check each page for access and fishing restrictions.
Distances are straight-line estimates between mapped water locations.