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Fishing Gartside Reservoir: what the data says
39-acre reservoir near Montana. The lake tops out around 18 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.
Walleye fishing at Gartside Reservoir
Spring walleye on Gartside Reservoir hold shallow, usually 4 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 18 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 18 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 5 ft that scores prime in fall. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. 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 | 5 to 18 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Northern Pike fishing at Gartside Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: northern pike sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. They move out to 5 to 18 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 5 ft that scores prime in fall. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 5 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Gartside Reservoir
Spring largemouth bass on Gartside Reservoir hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 18 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 18 ft. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for fall largemouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 5 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Common Carp fishing at Gartside Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: common carp sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 3 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 18 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 18 ft of water that rates prime for common carp in winter. 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 | 5 to 18 ft | midday |
Yellow Perch fishing at Gartside Reservoir
In spring, yellow perch run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 18 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 18 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 18 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 5 to 18 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Crappie fishing at Gartside Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. They move out to 5 to 18 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 18 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 18 ft, rated prime for winter crappie. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 5 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Gartside Reservoir also holds pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), smallmouth bass (5 to 18 ft in summer), bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer), muskellunge (5 to 18 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 18 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 6 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 5 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 4 ft
Common questions
How deep is Gartside Reservoir?
Gartside Reservoir is about 18 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 Gartside Reservoir?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, crappie, bluegill, muskellunge, yellow perch, common carp, pumpkinseed on Gartside Reservoir.
Where is the best fishing spot on Gartside Reservoir?
Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Gartside Reservoir?
For walleye, the summer bite is best in the evening and early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Boxelder Lake · South Sandstone Reservoir · Spotted Eagle Lake · Paulo Reservoir · Valley Reservoir · Castle Rock Reservoir
See how Gartside 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.