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Best brown trout lakes in Montana

21 Montana waters hold brown trout, 16 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Wary, nocturnal-leaning predator. Shorelines and inflows in cold months; the thermocline in summer.

1. Canyon Ferry Reservoir — 130 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
2. Hebgen Lake — 75 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Lake Whitefish, Arctic Grayling
3. Hauser Lake — 65 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
4. Yellowstone River — 10 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Sauger, Rainbow Trout, Common Carp
5. Clark Canyon Reservoir — 91 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Common Carp, Brown Trout, Brook Trout
6. Madison River — 6 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
7. Seeley Lake — 120 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
8. Salmon Lake — 65 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
9. Quake Lake — 120 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Lake Whitefish
10. Lake Helena — 12 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
11. Placid Lake — 93 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Brown Trout
12. Bighorn River — 8 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
13. Bitterroot River — 6 ft max · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
14. Yellowtail Afterbay Reservoir — 46 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Sauger, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout
15. Newlan Reservoir — 87 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Kokanee
16. Missouri River — 11 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Common Carp, Brown Trout
17. Lake Inez — 72 ft max · survey depth data · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Brown Trout
18. Ackley Lake — 39 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Muskellunge, Brown Trout, Brook Trout
19. East Rosebud Lake — 20 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Lake Whitefish
20. Lake Josephine — 8 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
21. Lake Elmo — 16 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish

When to fish brown trout in Montana

• Spring 3–25 ft — Cold-water browns hug shorelines, river mouths and mud lines — often in a few feet of water early and late.
• Summer 25–60 ft — Browns sit at the thermocline by day and slide shallow after dark — the night troll takes the giants.
• Fall 5–30 ft — Spawn-run browns stage off tributaries and gravel shorelines, aggressive and territorial.
• Winter 5–35 ft — Browns feed all winter — nearshore when bait is in, deeper breaks otherwise.

Also in Montana: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best sauger lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best common carp lakes · best lake trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best kokanee lakes · best lake whitefish lakes · best burbot lakes · best arctic grayling lakes · best cutthroat trout lakes · best pumpkinseed lakes

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