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89-acre lake in Lincoln County, Montana. The lake tops out around 25 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. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.
Drawn out, this is 89 acres of water rimmed by 1.4 miles of bank. Its 1.1 shoreline index means few bank features; the contours below do the pattern work. Roughly 46% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. Tip to tip the water measures near 0.5 mi with a 0.3-mi widest point. The water lies in Lincoln County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Martin Lake (Lincoln), 1 mi northeast of here.
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 25 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. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (19 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (4 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Break off the point (19 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: northern pike in 2 to 8 ft. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 20 ft, wintering in 5 to 15 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 3 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (19 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (19 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, yellow perch slide up into 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Keep a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn | Deep basin (25 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (25 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (25 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Murphy Lake carries 6 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 25 ft down.
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 Murphy Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Montana fishing regulations →
Murphy Lake is about 25 ft (8 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target largemouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch on Murphy Lake.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
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.
Fishing on Murphy 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.
Martin Lake (Lincoln) 1 mi · Dickey Lake (Lincoln) 3 mi · Blue Lake (Flathead) 7 mi · Fish Lake (Lincoln) 7 mi · Frank Lake 8 mi · Long Lake (Lincoln) 9 mi · Rock Lake 9 mi · Glen Lake 10 mi · Big Fire Lake 10 mi · Upper Whitefish Lake 13 mi · Chain Lake 3 13 mi · BIG THERRIAULT LAKE 14 mi
See how Murphy Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Montana · best northern pike lakes in Montana · best yellow perch lakes in Montana
More water nearby: Lincoln County fishing maps (28 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.