Hauser 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 Hauser 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 Hauser Lake on the board.

Fishing Hauser Lake: what the data says

3,800-acre lake near Helena. The lake tops out around 65 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.

Hauser Lake maps at 4,798 acres behind 29 miles of shoreline. With a shoreline index of 3, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 31% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. The basin spans about 10.3 mi end to end and 3.3 mi across at its widest. Lewis and Clark County claims this one. Lake Helena sits 6 mi west — the closest neighbouring chart.

Brook Trout fishing at Hauser Lake

When the water first warms, brook trout slide up into 2 to 15 ft. Summer is a 10 to 30 ft game here, winter a 3 to 20 ft one. Start at Sharp break. It's a drop-off holding about 12 ft of water and rates prime come summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Shoreline point (10 ft)	Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Sharp break (12 ft)	Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm
Fall	2 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Rock reef (3 ft)	Small spoon (orange), Spinner
Winter	3 to 20 ft	dawn	Break off the point (9 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic

Kokanee fishing at Hauser Lake

When the water first warms, kokanee slide up into 10 to 30 ft. Summer is a 20 to 65 ft game here, winter a 16 to 65 ft one. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 60 ft of water and rates prime come summer. The feeding windows run early morning. Keep a dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger or a kokanee bug + corn rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	10 to 30 ft	dawn	Sharp break (12 ft)	Small dodger + squid (pink), Wedding-ring spinner + corn
Summer	20 to 65 ft	dawn	Deep basin (60 ft)	Dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger, Kokanee bug + corn
Fall	5 to 40 ft	dawn	Break off the point (9 ft)	Dodger + squid (deeper red/purple), Small spoon
Winter	16 to 65 ft	dawn	Deep basin (60 ft)	Small glow jig + corn or maggot, Tiny spoon

Walleye fishing at Hauser Lake

Start shallow in spring: walleye sit in 4 to 15 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 15 to 35 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Sharp break, a drop-off in about 33 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. Warm-month bites cluster around the evening and early morning. Throw a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	4 to 15 ft	dusk & dawn	Rock reef (3 ft)	1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig
Summer	15 to 35 ft	dusk & dawn	Sharp break (33 ft)	Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled)
Fall	12 to 40 ft	dusk & night	Sharp break (33 ft)	Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow
Winter	20 to 40 ft	dusk & dawn	Sharp break (33 ft)	Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait

Lake Whitefish fishing at Hauser Lake

Spring puts lake whitefish in skinny water — 15 to 45 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 20 to 65 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 65 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 60 ft, rated prime for summer lake whitefish. Plan around early morning in the warm months. A blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon covers the summer program.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	15 to 45 ft	midday & dawn	Sharp break (33 ft)	Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small)
Summer	20 to 65 ft	dawn	Deep basin (60 ft)	Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon
Fall	8 to 30 ft	dusk	Rock reef (3 ft)	Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva
Winter	20 to 65 ft	midday & dawn	Deep basin (60 ft)	Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie

Common Carp fishing at Hauser Lake

Come spring, look for common carp tight to the bank in 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 3 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 30 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Back-bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	2 to 10 ft	midday & dawn	Back-bay flat (6 ft)
Summer	3 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Back-bay flat (6 ft)
Fall	5 to 18 ft	midday	Back-bay flat (6 ft)
Winter	10 to 30 ft	midday	Deep basin (60 ft)

Burbot fishing at Hauser Lake

Early season burbot use the shallows, holding in 20 to 65 ft. Even in summer they hold at 20 to 65 ft; winter keeps them in 15 to 60 ft. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 60 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is after dark and midday. Tie on a heavy jig + cut bait and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	20 to 65 ft	night & dusk	Deep basin (60 ft)	Glow jigging spoon + cut bait, Rattle bait (dark)
Summer	20 to 65 ft	night & midday	Deep basin (60 ft)	Heavy jig + cut bait
Fall	20 to 65 ft	night & dusk	Deep basin (60 ft)	Glow spoon + minnow head, Blade bait (slow)
Winter	15 to 60 ft	night & dusk	Deep basin (60 ft)	Glow tungsten + cut bait, Rattle spoon + minnow head

Hauser Lake also holds northern pike (8 to 20 ft in summer), yellow perch (10 to 30 ft in summer), brown trout (25 to 60 ft in summer), cutthroat trout (10 to 35 ft in summer), rainbow trout (8 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.

Notable structure

Structure-wise the chart holds 20 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 60 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 60 ft
Sharp break: drop-off, around 35 ft
Sharp break: drop-off, around 33 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 24 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 22 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 19 ft
Secondary point: point, around 17 ft
Dock / pier line: dock line, around 14 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 12 ft
Sharp break: drop-off, around 12 ft
Shoreline point: point, around 10 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 9 ft
Dock / pier line: dock line, around 9 ft
Weed flat: weed flat, around 7 ft

Public access & boat ramps

York Bridge — ramp (concrete)

Access data: Montana FWP — Fishing Access Sites. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

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

Check the official Montana fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Hauser Lake?

Hauser Lake is about 65 ft (20 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 Hauser Lake?

Anglers target brook trout, kokanee, walleye, lake whitefish, common carp, burbot, northern pike, yellow perch, brown trout, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout on Hauser Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Hauser Lake?

Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 60 ft of water that rates prime for kokanee in summer. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.

When is the best time to fish Hauser Lake?

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 Hauser Lake?

Fishing on Hauser 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

Lake Helena 6 mi · Spring Meadow Lake 14 mi · Canyon Ferry Reservoir 17 mi · Hound Creek Reservoir 21 mi · Missouri River 32 mi · Gollaher Reservoir 36 mi · Newlan Reservoir 43 mi · Nevada Reservoir 47 mi · Heart Lake (Lewis and Clark) 49 mi · Bean Lake 50 mi · Lake Sutherlin 52 mi · Parker Lake 53 mi

See how Hauser Lake stacks up: best walleye lakes in Montana · best northern pike lakes in Montana · best rainbow trout lakes in Montana · best yellow perch lakes in Montana

More water nearby: Lewis and Clark County fishing maps (9 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.