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Best rainbow trout lakes in Montana

320 Montana waters hold rainbow trout, 314 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. The classic stocked cold-water trout. Depth is everything: rainbows follow the temperature layer they like.

1. Flathead Lake — 380 ft max · survey depth data · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout
2. Canyon Ferry Reservoir — 130 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
3. Bighorn Lake — 447 ft max · Walleye, Sauger, Crappie, Channel Catfish
4. Hebgen Lake — 75 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Lake Whitefish, Arctic Grayling
5. Hauser Lake — 65 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
6. Swan Lake — 120 ft max · survey depth data · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout
7. Tiber Reservoir — 110 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Sauger, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout
8. Yellowstone River — 10 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Sauger, Rainbow Trout, Common Carp
9. Lake Sherburne — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Kokanee
10. Clark Canyon Reservoir — 91 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Common Carp, Brown Trout, Brook Trout
11. Lake Frances — 43 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
12. Gibson Reservoir — 165 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Arctic Grayling, Cutthroat Trout
13. Georgetown Lake — 25 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brook Trout, Kokanee
14. Madison River — 6 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
15. Red Rock Lake, Upper — 5 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
16. Little Bitterroot Lake — 260 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
17. Mcgregor Lake — 220 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout
18. Seeley Lake — 120 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
19. Salmon Lake — 65 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
20. Tally Lake — 450 ft max · survey depth data · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brook Trout
21. Quake Lake — 120 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Lake Whitefish
22. Pishkun Reservoir — 78 ft max · survey depth data · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Brook Trout
23. Bull Lake (Lincoln) — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
24. Lake Helena — 12 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
25. Lindbergh Lake — 120 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Brook Trout

…plus 295 more Montana waters holding rainbow trout.

When to fish rainbow trout in Montana

• Spring 5–20 ft — Post-ice-out trout roam shallow; fish inflows and windblown shorelines.
• Summer 8–30 ft — Rainbows hold near cold inflows, current seams and the thermocline — find the cool water and you've found the fish.
• Fall 10–35 ft — Fall feeding on rock shoals, current and channel edges as water cools.
• Winter 8–40 ft — Trout are comfortable in cold water — one of the best winter targets; streams and tailwaters fish shallow, deep lakes hold on basin edges.

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 muskellunge lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best common carp lakes · best lake trout 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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