Bailey Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (MT)

Hatch outlook

Grasshoppers (east-side summer)Active window

Typical here: Jul 1 – Oct 15 · until the hard frosts of mid-October; on the Missouri, August hoppers fish mid-river, not the banks

adultall day in high summer, best when afternoon wind knocks bugs onto the water

Pulls fish to the windward grassy banks and edges for months — fish the bank the wind blows ONTO.

The friendliest crossover of the summer: on lakes, drift the windward bank with a bubble-and-foam-hopper — the bubble's splash doesn't hurt a hopper presentation. On rivers, the same rig dead-drifted along the undercut grass banks, or small gold spinners under the banks between rises.

The event happens over grassy banks, undercut edges and windward shorelines

Spruce MothActive window

Typical here: Jul 20 – Aug 31 · a conifer-forest event — it needs fir and lodgepole on the banks, so it's a Rock Creek / Blackfoot / upper Bitterroot specialty

adultmorning through midday — moths don't enter the water willingly — landings are sporadic and near the conifer banks; fish the imitation LOW in the film with minimal floatant, even fully drowned, with a little movement

When the moths show, just about every run produces — large trout key on them so hard that one pattern carries the whole box for two weeks.

Honest limit: a small drowned-surface moth has no lure analog. The workable rig is a casting bubble with a drowned moth pattern along the timbered banks in the morning; otherwise fish spinners early and late and leave the moth window to the film.

2–3 weeks at best, and day-to-day — fish key on the moths when they show and vanish with them

The event happens over banks under conifers — the moths rarely reach mid-river

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours here are interpolated from real agency depth surveys (state DNR / USACE). Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

Loading depth chart…

Recent catches at Bailey Lake

Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.

No shared catches here yet — be the first.Log a catch from the map above and share it to put Bailey Lake on the board.

Fishing Bailey Lake: what the data says

15-acre lake in Flathead County, Montana. The lake tops out around 28 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.

The drawn water covers 14 acres wrapped in 0.6 miles of bank. The basin is a simple one (shoreline index 1.2) — close to a bowl, so the structure on the chart matters more than the bank. 31% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. It sits in Flathead County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Lake Five (Flathead), is 5 mi to the east.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Bailey Lake

Come spring, look for largemouth bass tight to the bank in 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 28 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 26 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (16 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (16 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	8 to 28 ft	midday	Break off the point (26 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Brook Trout fishing at Bailey Lake

Early season brook trout use the shallows, holding in 2 to 15 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 28 ft, then a winter hold in 3 to 20 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 28 ft that grades prime for summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (16 ft)	Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon
Summer	8 to 28 ft	dawn & dusk	Deep basin (28 ft)	Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm
Fall	2 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (16 ft)	Small spoon (orange), Spinner
Winter	3 to 20 ft	dawn	Break off the point (26 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic

Yellow Perch fishing at Bailey Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: yellow perch in 3 to 12 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 28 ft before dropping to 8 to 28 ft for winter. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 28 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in fall. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 12 ft	midday & dawn	open water	Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank
Summer	8 to 28 ft	dawn	Deep basin (28 ft)	Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm
Fall	8 to 28 ft	midday	Deep basin (28 ft)	Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader
Winter	8 to 28 ft	midday & dawn	Deep basin (28 ft)	Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small)

Pumpkinseed fishing at Bailey Lake

Start shallow in spring: pumpkinseed sit in 1 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 2 to 10 ft, and winter fish settle into 6 to 18 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around the evening and early morning. Throw a micro tube or a sponge spider (fly) until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 8 ft	midday & dusk	open water	Micro jig under a float, Tiny beetle-spin
Summer	2 to 10 ft	dusk & dawn	open water	Micro tube, Sponge spider (fly)
Fall	4 to 14 ft	dusk & dawn	open water	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	6 to 18 ft	dawn	open water	Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon

Cutthroat Trout fishing at Bailey Lake

In spring, cutthroat trout run shallow here, mostly 3 to 15 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 28 ft before dropping to 7 to 28 ft for winter. Summer cutthroat trout concentrate at Break off the point, a prime-rated drop-off around 26 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a trolled spoon (small) or an inline spinner most summer days.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (16 ft)	Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon
Summer	8 to 28 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (26 ft)	Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner
Fall	5 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (16 ft)	Casting spoon, Inline spinner
Winter	7 to 28 ft	dawn	Break off the point (26 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig

Notable structure

Bailey Lake carries 3 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 28 ft down.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 28 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 26 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 16 ft

Bailey Lake fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Montana waters are set by the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks — and special regulations can apply to Bailey Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Montana fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Bailey Lake?

Bailey Lake is about 28 ft (9 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.

What fish are in Bailey Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, brook trout, yellow perch, pumpkinseed, cutthroat trout on Bailey Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Bailey Lake?

Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 26 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in winter. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.

When is the best time to fish Bailey Lake?

For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.

What are the fishing regulations for Bailey Lake?

Fishing on Bailey Lake is regulated by the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Check the official Montana regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Lake Five (Flathead) 5 mi · Lion Lake (Flathead) 8 mi · Whitefish Lake 12 mi · Lake McDonald 12 mi · Blanchard Lake 12 mi · Skyles Lake 13 mi · Little Beaver Lake 13 mi · Woods Lake 13 mi · Beaver Lake 13 mi · Skiumah Lake 14 mi · Spencer Lake 14 mi · Murray Lake 15 mi

See how Bailey Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Montana · best yellow perch lakes in Montana · best brook trout lakes in Montana · best cutthroat trout lakes in Montana

More water nearby: Flathead County fishing maps (55 charts). Browse all Montana fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.