Colt 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 Colt 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 Colt Lake on the board.

Fishing Colt Lake: what the data says

25-acre lake in Missoula County, Montana. The lake tops out around 42 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 is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.

The outline encloses 25 acres, worked by 1.3 miles of shoreline. A middling shoreline index (1.8) gives it some bays to work without being a maze. About 56% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft — that's the weed-and-bait zone. Tip to tip the water measures near 0.5 mi with a 0.2-mi widest point. Missoula County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Summit Lake (Missoula), is 2 mi to the northeast.

Cutthroat Trout fishing at Colt Lake

Start shallow in spring: cutthroat trout sit in 3 to 15 ft that time of year. 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 8 ft of water that rates prime for cutthroat trout in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a trolled spoon (small) or an inline spinner until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (4 ft)	Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon
Summer	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (8 ft)	Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner
Fall	5 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (4 ft)	Casting spoon, Inline spinner
Winter	10 to 40 ft	dawn	Break off the point (8 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig

Notable structure

5 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 42 ft, is the deepest of them.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 42 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 8 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 4 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft

Colt 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 Colt Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Montana fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Colt Lake?

Colt Lake is about 42 ft (13 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 Colt Lake?

Anglers target cutthroat trout on Colt Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Colt Lake?

Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for cutthroat trout in summer. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.

When is the best time to fish Colt Lake?

For cutthroat 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 Colt Lake?

Fishing on Colt 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

Summit Lake (Missoula) 2 mi · Pierce Lake 3 mi · Lindbergh Lake 3 mi · Rainy Lake 4 mi · South Meadow Lake 5 mi · Clearwater Lake 5 mi · Lake Alva 5 mi · Lake Marshall 5 mi · Holland Lake 7 mi · Lake Inez 7 mi · Lick Lake (Missoula) 8 mi · Lake Elsina 8 mi

See how Colt Lake stacks up: best cutthroat trout lakes in Montana

More water nearby: Missoula County fishing maps (37 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.