Hart Lake's provincial waterbody identifier ties it to the Elk River drainage, but its size, depth and shoreline character have not turned up in any survey. The mapped coordinate is the fish-presence point recorded against its stocking releases, not a surveyed lake centroid, so treat it as approximate until confirmed on the ground.

Every fish ever recorded going into Hart Lake was either a westslope cutthroat trout or a rainbow trout, released across three distinct eras: nearly 55,000 eyed cutthroat trout eggs in 1938 and 1939, before the westslope/rainbow strain bookkeeping used today; Kiakho-strain westslope cutthroat fry through the 1940s and into 1958 (five releases, about 29,000 fish); four modest rainbow trout plantings between 1940 and 1963 (roughly 6,400 fish); and a final run of wild Connor-strain westslope cutthroat fry from 1986 to 1992. Nothing has gone in since. Any fish holding in Hart Lake today is either a long-lived holdover or evidence of a self-sustaining population, and neither has been confirmed.

Fish it on standard small-lake lines until a local report says otherwise: chironomids under an indicator over any shoal structure, a balanced leech or Woolly Bugger worked along the drop-offs, and a searching dry such as an Adams on a calm evening.

The release record is the whole fishing report for Hart Lake, and it stops abruptly. Provincial hatchery records log 16 releases between 1938 and 1992, totalling roughly 102,000 fish. The earliest plants, close to 55,000 eyed cutthroat trout eggs in 1938 and 1939, predate the westslope/rainbow strain bookkeeping used today. Through the 1940s and into 1958, the lake was topped up with Kiakho-strain westslope cutthroat trout fry, five releases totalling about 29,000 fish, and four small rainbow trout plantings went in between 1940 and 1963, roughly 6,400 fish. The last activity was a cluster of wild Connor-strain westslope cutthroat fry releases from 1986 to 1992, finishing with 1,000 fall fry on September 1, 1992. Nothing has followed.

No road, launch, trailhead or parking information has turned up for Hart Lake. Confirm access locally, and check the current westslope cutthroat and rainbow trout limits and any bait, motor or ice-fishing restrictions for this water before you fish.