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Fishing Lake Elmo: what the data says
64-acre lake near Montana. The lake tops out around 16 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.
Rainbow Trout fishing at Lake Elmo
Spring rainbow trout on Lake Elmo hold shallow, usually 4 to 16 ft. Summer fish stay in 4 to 16 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 16 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 14 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 4 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 3 to 16 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Crappie fishing at Lake Elmo
Spring crappie on Lake Elmo hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 5 to 16 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 16 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 15 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. 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 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Elmo
Spring largemouth bass on Lake Elmo hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 5 to 16 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 16 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Elmo
Spring channel catfish on Lake Elmo hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 5 to 16 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 16 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 15 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in winter. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday |
Cutthroat Trout fishing at Lake Elmo
Spring cutthroat trout on Lake Elmo hold shallow, usually 3 to 15 ft. They move out to 5 to 16 ft in summer and finish the year down in 4 to 16 ft. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 14 ft of water that rates prime for cutthroat trout in summer. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a trolled spoon (small) or a inline spinner gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner |
| Fall | 3 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Inline spinner |
| Winter | 4 to 16 ft | dawn | Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig |
Burbot fishing at Lake Elmo
In spring, burbot run shallow here, mostly 5 to 16 ft. Summer fish stay in 5 to 16 ft, and winter fish hold in 4 to 16 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 15 ft of water that rates prime for burbot in spring. Plan around after dark and midday in the warm months. Summer baits: a heavy jig + cut bait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 16 ft | night & dusk | Glow jigging spoon + cut bait, Rattle bait (dark) |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | night & midday | Heavy jig + cut bait |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | night & dusk | Glow spoon + minnow head, Blade bait (slow) |
| Winter | 4 to 16 ft | night & dusk | Glow tungsten + cut bait, Rattle spoon + minnow head |
Lake Elmo also holds common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer), yellow perch (5 to 16 ft in summer), brown trout (5 to 16 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer), muskellunge (5 to 16 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 15 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 14 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 3 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Elmo?
Lake Elmo is about 16 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 Lake Elmo?
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, rainbow trout, muskellunge, yellow perch, common carp, brown trout, burbot, cutthroat trout, pumpkinseed on Lake Elmo.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Elmo?
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 15 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in winter. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Lake Elmo?
For rainbow 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.
Nearby waters
Lake Josephine · Joels Pond · Laurel Pond · Yellowtail Afterbay Reservoir · Big Wall Pond · Bighorn River
See how Lake Elmo stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Montana · best crappie lakes in Montana · best bluegill lakes in Montana · best channel catfish 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.