Frenchtown Pond 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 Frenchtown Pond

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 Frenchtown Pond on the board.

Fishing Frenchtown Pond: what the data says

27-acre lake in Missoula County, Montana. The lake tops out around 14 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.

Frenchtown Pond maps at 22 acres behind 1.2 miles of shoreline. With a 1.8 development index there's bank structure worth casting at, in moderation. The whole water is littoral — nothing here runs deeper than ~15 ft, so it's all weed-and-bait territory. End to end it runs roughly 0.5 mi. It sits in Missoula County. If the bite dies, Glacier Lake is 15 mi to the east.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Frenchtown Pond

Come spring, look for largemouth bass tight to the bank in 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 4 to 14 ft in summer and finish the year down in 4 to 14 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	4 to 14 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 14 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (4 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	4 to 14 ft	midday	Break off the point (3 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Pumpkinseed fishing at Frenchtown Pond

Start shallow in spring: pumpkinseed sit in 1 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 2 to 10 ft, and winter fish settle into 4 to 14 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for pumpkinseed in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around the evening and early morning. Throw a micro tube or a sponge spider (fly) until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 8 ft	midday & dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	Micro jig under a float, Tiny beetle-spin
Summer	2 to 10 ft	dusk & dawn	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	Micro tube, Sponge spider (fly)
Fall	4 to 14 ft	dusk & dawn	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	4 to 14 ft	dawn	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon

Rainbow Trout fishing at Frenchtown Pond

Spring rainbow trout on Frenchtown Pond hold shallow, usually 4 to 14 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 4 to 14 ft in summer, 3 to 14 ft once it turns cold. The chart's best answer is Break off the point — drop-off, 3 ft, prime for winter. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	4 to 14 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (4 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	4 to 14 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (3 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	4 to 14 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (4 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	3 to 14 ft	dawn	Break off the point (3 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Notable structure

The chart marks 7 structure features on Frenchtown Pond; the deepest is Deep basin at about 13 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 13 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 4 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
Dock / pier line: dock line, around 4 ft
All Abilities Dock: dock line, around 4 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 3 ft

Frenchtown Pond 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 Frenchtown Pond specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Montana fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Frenchtown Pond?

Frenchtown Pond is about 14 ft (4 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 Frenchtown Pond?

Anglers target largemouth bass, pumpkinseed, rainbow trout on Frenchtown Pond.

Where is the best fishing spot on Frenchtown Pond?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.

When is the best time to fish Frenchtown Pond?

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.

What are the fishing regulations for Frenchtown Pond?

Fishing on Frenchtown Pond 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

Glacier Lake 15 mi · Sanders Lake 15 mi · Little Lake 16 mi · McKinley Lake 16 mi · Big Lake 16 mi · Sheridan Lake 16 mi · Farmers Lake #6 17 mi · Farmers Lake #5 17 mi · Rattlesnake Lake #22 17 mi · Boulder Lake 20 mi · Fly Lake (Missoula) 21 mi · St Marys Lake 23 mi

See how Frenchtown Pond stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Montana · best rainbow trout lakes in Montana · best pumpkinseed 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.