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Fishing Canyon Ferry Reservoir: what the data says
33,500-acre reservoir near Townsend. The lake tops out around 130 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.
Brook Trout fishing at Canyon Ferry Reservoir
Spring brook trout on Canyon Ferry Reservoir hold shallow, usually 2 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 3 to 20 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 10 ft, rated prime for summer brook trout. Best bite is 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 | 10 to 30 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 |
Walleye fishing at Canyon Ferry Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: walleye sit in 4 to 15 ft that time of year. They move out to 15 to 35 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. Best bite is the evening and early morning. Tie on a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Lake Whitefish fishing at Canyon Ferry Reservoir
In spring, lake whitefish run shallow here, mostly 15 to 45 ft. By summer they slide out to 40 to 90 ft, and by winter most fish are in 25 to 70 ft. Rock reef is the standout, a rock pile at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for fall lake whitefish. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Tie on a blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 15 to 45 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small) |
| Summer | 40 to 90 ft | dawn | Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | dusk | Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva |
| Winter | 25 to 70 ft | midday & dawn | Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie |
Common Carp fishing at Canyon Ferry Reservoir
Spring common carp on Canyon Ferry Reservoir hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 3 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 30 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for common carp in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | midday | |
| Winter | 10 to 30 ft | midday |
Cutthroat Trout fishing at Canyon Ferry Reservoir
In spring, cutthroat trout run shallow here, mostly 3 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 35 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for cutthroat trout in summer. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. 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 | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Inline spinner |
| Winter | 10 to 40 ft | dawn | Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig |
Burbot fishing at Canyon Ferry Reservoir
In spring, burbot run shallow here, mostly 25 to 70 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 50 to 120 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 60 ft. Deepest basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 121 ft, rated prime for summer burbot. Plan around after dark and midday in the warm months. Summer baits: a heavy jig + cut bait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 25 to 70 ft | night & dusk | Glow jigging spoon + cut bait, Rattle bait (dark) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | night & midday | Heavy jig + cut bait |
| Fall | 30 to 80 ft | night & dusk | Glow spoon + minnow head, Blade bait (slow) |
| Winter | 15 to 60 ft | night & dusk | Glow tungsten + cut bait, Rattle spoon + minnow head |
Canyon Ferry Reservoir also holds northern pike (8 to 20 ft in summer), largemouth bass (8 to 20 ft in summer), yellow perch (10 to 30 ft in summer), brown trout (25 to 60 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), rainbow trout (8 to 30 ft in summer), smallmouth bass (10 to 30 ft in summer), bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 124 ft
- Deepest basin: deep basin, around 121 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 88 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 86 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 83 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 75 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 54 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 48 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 42 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 42 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 28 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 18 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 14 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 12 ft
Common questions
How deep is Canyon Ferry Reservoir?
Canyon Ferry Reservoir is about 130 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 Canyon Ferry Reservoir?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, bluegill, rainbow trout, yellow perch, common carp, brown trout, brook trout, lake whitefish, burbot, cutthroat trout, pumpkinseed on Canyon Ferry Reservoir.
Where is the best fishing spot on Canyon Ferry Reservoir?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for common carp in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Canyon Ferry Reservoir?
For brook trout, 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
Hauser Lake · Lake Helena · Spring Meadow Lake · Hound Creek Reservoir · Newlan Reservoir · Missouri River
See how Canyon Ferry Reservoir stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Montana · best smallmouth bass lakes in Montana · best walleye lakes in Montana · best northern pike 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.