Pishkun Reservoir 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 Pishkun Reservoir

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 Pishkun Reservoir on the board.

Fishing Pishkun Reservoir: what the data says

2,344-acre reservoir in Teton County, Montana. The lake tops out around 78 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.

The drawn water covers 2,344 acres wrapped in 7.3 miles of bank. Nearly circular (index 1.1), so the story is the bottom, not the bank. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 53% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. End to end it runs roughly 2.8 mi, about 1.8 mi across. Teton County claims this one. Split Rock Lake sits 2 mi southwest — the closest neighbouring chart.

Brook Trout fishing at Pishkun Reservoir

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 Main-lake point. It's a point holding about 3 ft of water and rates prime come spring. 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	Main-lake point (3 ft)	Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (32 ft)	Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm
Fall	2 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (3 ft)	Small spoon (orange), Spinner
Winter	3 to 20 ft	dawn	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic

Kokanee fishing at Pishkun Reservoir

When the water first warms, kokanee slide up into 10 to 30 ft. Summer is a 30 to 70 ft game here, winter a 20 to 78 ft one. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 78 ft of water and rates prime come winter. 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	Break off the point (32 ft)	Small dodger + squid (pink), Wedding-ring spinner + corn
Summer	30 to 70 ft	dawn	Deep basin (78 ft)	Dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger, Kokanee bug + corn
Fall	5 to 40 ft	dawn	Break off the point (32 ft)	Dodger + squid (deeper red/purple), Small spoon
Winter	20 to 78 ft	dawn	Deep basin (78 ft)	Small glow jig + corn or maggot, Tiny spoon

Arctic Grayling fishing at Pishkun Reservoir

When the water first warms, arctic grayling slide up into 2 to 10 ft. Summer is a 3 to 15 ft game here, winter an 8 to 25 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 4 ft of water and rates good come spring. The feeding windows run the evening and early morning. Keep a dry fly (parachute adams, elk hair caddis) or a small inline spinner rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	midday & dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	1/16 oz spinner (silver), Small dry fly (Adams, Griffith's)
Summer	3 to 15 ft	dusk & dawn	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	Dry fly (parachute Adams, elk hair caddis), Small inline spinner
Fall	6 to 20 ft	midday	Break off the point (32 ft)	Small spoon, Beadhead nymph under indicator
Winter	8 to 25 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow feeding flat (22 ft)	Tungsten jig + waxworm, Small jigging spoon (gold)

Northern Pike fishing at Pishkun Reservoir

Spring northern pike on Pishkun Reservoir hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 15 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 4 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	#5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white)
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow feeding flat (21 ft)	Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait
Winter	5 to 15 ft	midday	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon

Yellow Perch fishing at Pishkun Reservoir

Spring puts yellow perch in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 30 ft, wintering in 15 to 35 ft. Spring yellow perch concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 4 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 12 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn	Break off the point (32 ft)	Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm
Fall	12 to 35 ft	midday	Break off the point (32 ft)	Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday & dawn	Break off the point (32 ft)	Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small)

Rainbow Trout fishing at Pishkun Reservoir

Come spring, look for rainbow trout tight to the bank in 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 8 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 32 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	5 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Secondary point (5 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	8 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (32 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (32 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	8 to 40 ft	dawn	Break off the point (32 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Notable structure

Structure-wise the chart holds 8 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 78 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 78 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 32 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 22 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 21 ft
Secondary point: point, around 5 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 3 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Pishkun Reservoir — ramp (concrete)

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

Pishkun Reservoir 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 Pishkun Reservoir specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Montana fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Pishkun Reservoir?

Pishkun Reservoir is about 78 ft (24 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 Pishkun Reservoir?

Anglers target brook trout, kokanee, arctic grayling, northern pike, yellow perch, rainbow trout on Pishkun Reservoir.

Where is the best fishing spot on Pishkun Reservoir?

Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 78 ft of water that rates prime for kokanee in winter. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.

When is the best time to fish Pishkun Reservoir?

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 Pishkun Reservoir?

Fishing on Pishkun Reservoir 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

Split Rock Lake 2 mi · Tunnel Lake 6 mi · Willow Creek Reservoir 8 mi · Gibson Reservoir 16 mi · Ostle Reservoir 21 mi · Bean Lake 26 mi · Heart Lake (Lewis and Clark) 38 mi · Parker Lake 39 mi · Lewis Pond South 40 mi · Canyon Lake (Lewis and Clark) 42 mi · Lake Frances 43 mi · Camp Lake (Lewis and Clark) 43 mi

See how Pishkun Reservoir stacks up: best northern pike lakes in Montana · best rainbow trout lakes in Montana · best yellow perch lakes in Montana · best brook trout lakes in Montana

More water nearby: Teton County fishing maps (5 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.