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Best lake trout lakes in Montana

109 Montana waters hold lake trout, 108 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. Deep, cold and long-lived. Below 50°F water year-round — shallow at ice-out and on fall spawning reefs.

1. Fort Peck Lake — 220 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Northern PikeWhy #1: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
2. Flathead Lake — 380 ft max · survey depth data · Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Lake WhitefishWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
3. Swan Lake — 120 ft max · survey depth data · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
4. Whitefish Lake — 220 ft max · survey depth data · Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Brook TroutWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
5. Mcgregor Lake — 220 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
6. Bull Lake (Lincoln) — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
7. Georgetown Lake — 25 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brook Trout, KokaneeWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
8. Lindbergh Lake — 120 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Brook TroutWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
9. Echo Lake (Flathead) — 70 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
10. Elk Lake (Beaverhead) — 62 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
11. Tally Lake — 450 ft max · survey depth data · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brook TroutWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
12. Holland Lake — 140 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, KokaneeWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
13. Spar Lake — 200 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brook Trout, KokaneeWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
14. Frank Lake — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
15. Aero Lake, Upper — 175 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
16. Horseshoe Lake (Lincoln) — 130 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
17. Thompson Lake, Middle — 160 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
18. Aero Lake, Lower — 180 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
19. Hidden Lake (Madison) — 72 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
20. Lake Agnes — 59 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
21. Black Canyon Lake — 180 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
22. Widewater Lake (Carbon) — 100 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
23. Rough Lake (Park) — 110 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
24. Sunburst Lake — 200 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
25. Rainy Lake — 29 ft max · survey depth data · Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Cutthroat Trout, PumpkinseedWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached

…plus 84 more Montana waters holding lake trout.

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When to fish lake trout in Montana

• Spring 10–40 ft — The brief shallow window: post-ice-out lakers roam rock shoals and points where anyone can reach them.
• Summer 50–120 ft — Below the thermocline in sub-50°F water — deep humps and basin edges near bait (smelt, cisco, alewife).
• Fall 10–50 ft — Turnover puts lakers on shallow rock reefs to spawn — big fish shallow, best late in the day.
• Winter 20–80 ft — One of the best ice targets — cold water is their comfort zone; they roam basin edges and humps all winter.

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 brown 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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