Best kokanee lakes in Montana
28 Montana waters hold kokanee, 28 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. Landlocked sockeye. A plankton-eating school fish glued to its preferred temperature band — find the school, catch a limit.
- Hauser Lake — 65 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
- Swan Lake — 120 ft max · survey depth data · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout
- Lake Sherburne — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Kokanee
- Ashley Lake — 200 ft max · survey depth data · Yellow Perch, Kokanee, Cutthroat Trout
- Georgetown Lake — 25 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brook Trout, Kokanee
- Little Bitterroot Lake — 260 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
- Mcgregor Lake — 220 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout
- Seeley Lake — 120 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
- Salmon Lake — 65 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
- Tally Lake — 450 ft max · survey depth data · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brook Trout
- Pishkun Reservoir — 78 ft max · survey depth data · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Brook Trout
- Lake Helena — 12 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
- Lindbergh Lake — 120 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Brook Trout
- Placid Lake — 93 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Brown Trout
- Lake Mary Ronan — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout
- Lake Sutherlin — 51 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Kokanee, Lake Whitefish
- Newlan Reservoir — 87 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Kokanee
- Sophie Lake — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Bluegill, Rainbow Trout
- Holland Lake — 140 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Kokanee
- Browns Lake — 25 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Kokanee
- Hubbart Reservoir — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Brook Trout
- Lake Inez — 72 ft max · survey depth data · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Brown Trout
- Lake Alva — 90 ft max · survey depth data · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Brook Trout
- Spar Lake — 200 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brook Trout, Kokanee
- Glen Lake — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
…plus 3 more Montana waters holding kokanee.
When to fish kokanee in Montana
- Spring 10–30 ft — Schools roam the upper column over open water while it's cool — short leaders, slow trolls.
- Summer 30–70 ft — Kokanee compress into the 50-55°F band at the thermocline over the deepest basins — precise depth is everything.
- Fall 5–40 ft — Spawners turn crimson and gang up off tributary mouths and gravel shorelines; remaining fish scatter with turnover.
- Winter 20–80 ft — Deep suspended schools — an electronics game through the ice.
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 brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best lake whitefish lakes · best burbot lakes · best arctic grayling lakes · best cutthroat trout lakes · best pumpkinseed lakes
Kokanee elsewhere: Wyoming · Washington · Utah · Colorado · Idaho