Crater 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.

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Recent catches at Crater 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 Crater Lake on the board.

Fishing Crater Lake: what the data says

18-acre lake in Mineral County, Montana. The lake tops out around 30 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. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.

On the chart, Crater Lake draws 19 acres inside 0.8 miles of shoreline. Its 1.3 shoreline index means few bank features; the contours below do the pattern work. 45% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. Call it 0.3 mi long by 0.2 mi wide at the broadest reach. The water lies in Mineral County. For a second option, Trio Lakes lies 3 mi west.

Cutthroat Trout fishing at Crater Lake

When the water first warms, cutthroat trout slide up into 3 to 15 ft. Summer is a 9 to 30 ft game here, winter an 8 to 30 ft one. Start at Break off the point. It's a drop-off holding about 21 ft of water and rates prime come summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a trolled spoon (small) or an inline spinner rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (12 ft)	Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon
Summer	9 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (21 ft)	Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner
Fall	5 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (12 ft)	Casting spoon, Inline spinner
Winter	8 to 30 ft	dawn	Break off the point (21 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig

Notable structure

Crater Lake carries 3 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 30 ft down.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 30 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 21 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 12 ft

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

Check the official Montana fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Crater Lake?

Crater Lake is about 30 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 Crater Lake?

Anglers target cutthroat trout on Crater Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Crater Lake?

Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 21 ft of water that rates prime for cutthroat trout in summer. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.

When is the best time to fish Crater 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 Crater Lake?

Fishing on Crater 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

Trio Lakes 3 mi · French Lake 4 mi · Pearl Lake 4 mi · Hidden Lake (Mineral) 4 mi · Siamese Lake, Lower 5 mi · Siamese Lake, Upper 5 mi · Hoodoo Lake 7 mi · Cedar Log Lake, North 9 mi · Surveyor Lake 9 mi · Cedar Log Lake, South 10 mi · Oregon Lake, Middle 13 mi · Bonanza Lake, Upper 17 mi

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

More water nearby: Mineral County fishing maps (19 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.