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Fishing Bailey Lake: what the data says
15-acre lake near 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Bailey Lake
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are 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. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 8 to 28 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Brook Trout fishing at Bailey Lake
Start shallow in spring: brook trout sit in 2 to 15 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 28 ft, and winter fish settle into 3 to 20 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 28 ft of water that rates prime for brook trout in 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 | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 28 ft | dawn & dusk | Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm |
| Fall | 2 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Small spoon (orange), Spinner |
| Winter | 3 to 20 ft | dawn | Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic |
Yellow Perch fishing at Bailey Lake
Spring yellow perch on Bailey Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 28 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 28 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 28 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is early morning. Summer baits: a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 8 to 28 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 8 to 28 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 8 to 28 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Pumpkinseed fishing at Bailey Lake
Spring pumpkinseed on Bailey Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 2 to 10 ft, and by winter most fish are in 6 to 18 ft. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. A micro tube or a sponge spider (fly) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | midday & dusk | Micro jig under a float, Tiny beetle-spin |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dusk & dawn | Micro tube, Sponge spider (fly) |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | dusk & dawn | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 6 to 18 ft | dawn | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Cutthroat Trout fishing at Bailey Lake
Start shallow in spring: cutthroat trout sit in 3 to 15 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 28 ft, and by winter most fish are in 7 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 summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A trolled spoon (small) or a inline spinner covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 28 ft | dawn & dusk | Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Inline spinner |
| Winter | 7 to 28 ft | dawn | Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 28 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 26 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 16 ft
Common questions
How deep is Bailey Lake?
Bailey Lake is about 28 ft 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, yellow perch, brook trout, cutthroat trout, pumpkinseed 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. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
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.
Nearby waters
Lake Five (Flathead) · Lion Lake (Flathead) · Blanchard Lake · Whitefish Lake · Skyles Lake · Little Beaver Lake
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
Browse all Montana fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.