Dailey Lake is a 205-acre natural lake that sits on a bench above the Yellowstone River in Paradise Valley near Emigrant, MT. The lake is popular with boaters and anglers. It has two boat ramps, a dock, an accessible fishing station, and 17 campsites. Daily Lake sits in the open with spectacular views of Emigrant Mountain.

Dailey Lake has excellent fishing for walleye, yellow perch, Yellowstone cutthroat trout, and rainbow trout. The yellow perch are self-sustaining but the walleye and rainbow depend on annual stocking to support the fishery. Anglers fish the lake year-round and it is a popular destination for ice fishing in the winter.

While it may seem like a reservoir, Dailey Lake is a natural lake. It’s about 205 acres in size and is shaped almost like a bowl. The maximum depth is less than 24 ft and the lake mostly has a mud bottom. There is a lot of emersed vegetation growing in the south end of the lake. Some anglers like to “fish the weeds” while others prefer the open lake.

Historically the lake was managed for perch and rainbow trout. Unfortunately, the perch would reproduce so quickly that they would develop stunted populations where thousands of very small fish would consume all of the food in the lake. In an effort to control the perch numbers, walleye were introduced in the late 1970s.

At the time, some local anglers were sure the lake would produce large walleye. While the lake does produce a few large fish, it has never been highly productive for walleye. Enough walleye are present to provide a fishery and to control the perch populations. Yellowstone cutthroat trout were first stocked in 2008 and they are now stocked annually. It seems that the fishery managers have found a good balance in the lake.

Bait, lure, and fly fishing are all popular at Dailey Lake. Most anglers use boats but fishing from shore can be very productive as well. The wind can be an issue as sometimes it is too windy to fish.