Canyon Ferry Reservoir 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 Canyon Ferry Reservoir

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 Canyon Ferry Reservoir on the board.

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. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.

Traced from the shoreline, Canyon Ferry Reservoir runs 32,789 acres with 95.7 miles of edge — 2 islands included. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 3.8) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. Roughly 15% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. Tip to tip the water measures near 22.6 mi with a 5.6-mi widest point. You'll find it in Broadwater County. For a second option, Hauser Lake lies 17 mi northwest.

Brook Trout fishing at Canyon Ferry Reservoir

In spring, brook trout run shallow here, mostly 2 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 3 to 20 ft. Shoreline point is the standout, a point at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for spring brook trout. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm most summer days.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Shoreline point (7 ft)	Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (6 ft)	Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm
Fall	2 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Rock reef (11 ft)	Small spoon (orange), Spinner
Winter	3 to 20 ft	dawn	Break off the point (6 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic

Walleye fishing at Canyon Ferry Reservoir

Come spring, look for walleye tight to the bank in 4 to 15 ft. Expect a summer slide to 15 to 35 ft, then a winter hold in 20 to 40 ft. Start at Sharp break. It's a drop-off holding about 39 ft of water and rates prime come fall. Prime time lands in the evening and early morning. A crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	4 to 15 ft	dusk & dawn	Rock reef (11 ft)	1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig
Summer	15 to 35 ft	dusk & dawn	Main-lake point (24 ft)	Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled)
Fall	12 to 40 ft	dusk & night	Sharp break (39 ft)	Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow
Winter	20 to 40 ft	dusk & dawn	Sharp break (39 ft)	Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait

Lake Whitefish fishing at Canyon Ferry Reservoir

Early season lake whitefish use the shallows, holding in 15 to 45 ft. Summer is a 40 to 90 ft game here, winter a 25 to 70 ft one. The chart's best answer is Rock reef — rock pile, 11 ft, prime for fall. Best bite is early morning. Tie on a blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	15 to 45 ft	midday & dawn	Rock reef (13 ft)	Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small)
Summer	40 to 90 ft	dawn	Sharp break (44 ft)	Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon
Fall	8 to 30 ft	dusk	Rock reef (11 ft)	Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva
Winter	25 to 70 ft	midday & dawn	Sharp break (44 ft)	Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie

Common Carp fishing at Canyon Ferry Reservoir

Spring puts common carp in skinny water — 2 to 10 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 3 to 15 ft, wintering in 10 to 30 ft. Spring common carp concentrate at Feeding flat, a prime-rated feeding flat around 5 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	2 to 10 ft	midday & dawn	Feeding flat (5 ft)
Summer	3 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (14 ft)
Fall	5 to 18 ft	midday	Shallow bay flat (14 ft)
Winter	10 to 30 ft	midday	Deep basin (123 ft)

Cutthroat Trout fishing at Canyon Ferry Reservoir

Come spring, look for cutthroat trout tight to the bank in 3 to 15 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 35 ft, then a winter hold in 10 to 40 ft. Start at Main-lake point. It's a point holding about 24 ft of water and rates prime come fall. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A trolled spoon (small) or an inline spinner is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Shoreline point (7 ft)	Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon
Summer	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (24 ft)	Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner
Fall	5 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (24 ft)	Casting spoon, Inline spinner
Winter	10 to 40 ft	dawn	Sharp break (39 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig

Burbot fishing at Canyon Ferry Reservoir

Spring puts burbot in skinny water — 25 to 70 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 50 to 120 ft; cold water stacks them in 15 to 60 ft. Deepest basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 120 ft, rated prime for summer burbot. Plan around after dark and midday in the warm months. A heavy jig + cut bait covers the summer program.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	25 to 70 ft	night & dusk	Sharp break (44 ft)	Glow jigging spoon + cut bait, Rattle bait (dark)
Summer	50 to 120 ft	night & midday	Deepest basin (120 ft)	Heavy jig + cut bait
Fall	30 to 80 ft	night & dusk	Sharp break (44 ft)	Glow spoon + minnow head, Blade bait (slow)
Winter	15 to 60 ft	night & dusk	Rock reef (13 ft)	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

The chart marks 36 structure features on Canyon Ferry Reservoir; the deepest is Deep basin at about 123 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 123 ft
Deepest basin: deep basin, around 120 ft
Shoreline point: point, around 106 ft
Sharp break: drop-off, around 73 ft
Sharp break: drop-off, around 67 ft
Sharp break: drop-off, around 44 ft
Sharp break: drop-off, around 43 ft
Offshore flat: feeding flat, around 41 ft
Sharp break: drop-off, around 39 ft
Back-bay flat: feeding flat, around 35 ft
Secondary point: point, around 29 ft
Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 25 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 24 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 24 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
…plus 1 more mapped sites.

Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

Canyon Ferry Reservoir 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 Canyon Ferry Reservoir specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Montana fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Canyon Ferry Reservoir?

Canyon Ferry Reservoir is about 130 ft (40 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 Canyon Ferry Reservoir?

Anglers target brook trout, walleye, lake whitefish, common carp, cutthroat trout, burbot, northern pike, largemouth bass, yellow perch, brown trout, pumpkinseed, rainbow trout, smallmouth bass, bluegill on Canyon Ferry Reservoir.

Where is the best fishing spot on Canyon Ferry Reservoir?

Sharp break is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 39 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every 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.

What are the fishing regulations for Canyon Ferry Reservoir?

Fishing on Canyon Ferry Reservoir 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

Hauser Lake 17 mi · Lake Helena 20 mi · Spring Meadow Lake 23 mi · Newlan Reservoir 34 mi · Hound Creek Reservoir 35 mi · Lake Sutherlin 42 mi · Missouri River 47 mi · Gollaher Reservoir 49 mi · Nevada Reservoir 60 mi · Heart Lake (Lewis and Clark) 66 mi · Bean Lake 67 mi · Noble Lake 69 mi

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 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.