Thompson Chain of Lakes / Highway 2
The Thompson
Chain of Lakes, stretching along Highway 2 for 17 miles
between Libby and Kalispell, quite possibly offers more fishing variety than
any other stretch of highway in Montana. Nineteen lakes ranging in size from
three acres to 1,300 acres, the chain boosts both warm-water game fish and
cold-water trout. The area offers 83 primitive campsites. Logan State Park has 22 developed
campsites on Middle Thompson Lake, which are suitable for motor homes and large
trailers
Note: Most of
the roads leading to the lakes are primitive roads and not recommended for
motor homes and large trailers.
Perch,
pumpkinseeds, largemouth bass and northern pike cruise through Crystal,
Horseshoe, Lavon, Little Loon, Little McGregor, Loon, Lower Thompson, Middle
Thompson and Upper Thompson Lakes. Rainbows, eastern brook and cutthroats can
be located together or isolated in Banana, Bootjack, Cad, Cibid, Leon, Lilly
Pad, Little Loon, Little McGregor, Loon, Lower Thompson, Middle Thompson,
Myron, Rainbow, Topless and Upper Thompson Lakes.
Compressed into
a 17-mile stretch, sprinkle in kokanee salmon and browns and anglers have
enough variety and challenges to last a lifetime. Best of all, some of the
lakes hold huge lake trout in the 10- to 20-pound range; however, with the
illegal introduction of pike to some of the lakes, trout and bass numbers have
declined in some of the lakes. What follows is a listing of the lakes starting
with Loon Lake and progressing towards McGregor Lake, which is 28 miles from
Kalispell.
Camping is
allowed only in the 83 designated campsites spread throughout the chain of
lakes.
Note: MM=Mileage Marker Sign. Look for the Montana highway
department's mileage marker signs for reference. All of the lakes are signed.
MM 70: Loon Lake:
238 acres, 114 feet maximum depth. Contains yellow perch, rainbow,
largemouth bass, Eastern brook trout. Day use only. Concrete boat launch.
Little Loon Lake: South of Loon Lake. 11.6 acres, 38 feet maximum
depth. Contains cutthroat, largemouth bass, and small mouth bass. Dirt ramp.
Leon Lake: Southwesterly tip of Loon Lake. 22 acres, 22 feet maximum
depth. Contains yellow perch, cutthroats. Dirt ramp.
Horseshoe Lake: 159 acres, 133 feet maximum depth. Contains
pumpkinseed, largemouth bass, whitefish. Concrete boat ramp.
Cibid Lake: 11 acres, 60 feet maximum depth. Contains rainbows. Day use
only.
Banana Lake: Across the highway from Horseshoe Lake. Contains rainbows
and cutthroats. Day use only.
Topless Lake: Clustered along with Lilly Pad Lake, Bootjack Lake and
Lavon Lake between Horseshoe Lake and Crystal Lake, Topless Lake is 9.2 acres
and holds cutthroat. Lilly Pad Lake is a three-acre lake holding brook trout
and largemouth bass. Bootjack Lake is a 12-acre lake holding cutthroats and
rainbows. The lake is mostly on private land, but there is public access if you
can find it.
Lavon Lake: 17 acres, 91 feet. Contains yellow perch, kokanee salmon,
rainbow, largemouth bass. Day use only.
Crystal Lake: 178 acres, 154 feet. Contains yellow perch, kokanee
salmon, rainbow, largemouth bass. Dirt ramp.
MM 74: Rainbow Lake: A small lake nestled up against Upper Thompson
Lake at the northern end, Rainbow Lake is 20 acres and has no public access.
Upper Thompson: 375 acres, 50 feet. Contains yellow perch, northern
pike, largemouth bass, pumpkinseeds, rainbows, smallmouth bass. Concrete boat
ramp.
MM 77: Middle Thompson Lake: Contains yellow perch, northern pike,
largemouth bass, pumpkinseeds, rainbows and small mouth bass. Logan State Park
Campground: Logan has 39 campsites and trailer spaces up to 40 feet. Gravel
ramp.
Lower Thompson Lake: Contains yellow perch, rainbow, largemouth bass,
pumpkinseeds, kokanee salmon, northern pike, brown trout. Concrete boat launch.
Little McGregor Lake: North side of the highway. 40 acres. Contains
brook trout, cutthroat, yellow perch, largemouth bass. Concrete boat ramp.
MM 85: McGregor Lake: 1,328 acres. Contains lake trout, rainbow, yellow
perch, whitefish. McGregor Lake Campground has 15 campsites accommodating
trailer space up to 32 feet. Concrete boat ramp.
MM 100.7: Little Bitterroot Lake: Almost three miles long and a
half-mile wide, the lake is a recreational lake with summer homes and boating
activities. Nonetheless, the lake fishes well for perch, kokanee salmon and
nice-size rainbows.
MM 105: Ashley Lake: Another large recreation lake, Ashley Lake offers good
fishing for kokanee salmon and nice-sized rainbows.
MM 110: Smith Lake: A marshy, shallow 300 acre lake, Smith Lake has one
state access site to launch a boat. The lake fishes well for perch and bass.
MM 120: Kalispell, Montana.
