Windmaker Lake

Windmaker Lake is a lake in Glacier County, Montana.

Use the shape you can see at Windmaker Lake: check the best cover, the first drop, and one open-water line before moving.

Fish and Baits

Near the outer drop of a wooded bank, the fish mix here is not confirmed, so check fresh local information before choosing a target or keeping a catch.

Around the channel lip of a creek mouth, begin with one slow bottom presentation and one moving bait, then let bites show whether fish are holding close to cover or roaming open water.

How to Read the Water

Around the gravel lip of an open-water break, use wind as a clue; a light push can carry food toward a bank, but hard wind may muddy it, so look for a clean edge near a point or protected pocket.

Season by Season

Along the clean side of a sand-to-rock change, 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.

A Simple Tackle Plan

Around the open side of a weed bed, a medium spinning rod, 8-pound line, a small box of jigs, a few crankbaits, and a simple bottom rig cover most situations; change depth or speed before changing every piece of tackle.

Near the deep side of a short point, record the wind, water color, water depth at the strike, 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.