Placid 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.

Loading depth chart…

Recent catches at Placid 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 Placid Lake on the board.

Fishing Placid Lake: what the data says

1,200-acre lake near Seeley Lake. The lake tops out around 93 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.

Kokanee fishing at Placid Lake

Start shallow in spring: kokanee sit in 10 to 30 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 30 to 70 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 80 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 93 ft of water that rates prime for kokanee in winter. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. Throw a dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger or a kokanee bug + corn until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	10 to 30 ft	dawn	Deep basin (93 ft)	Small dodger + squid (pink), Wedding-ring spinner + corn
Summer	30 to 70 ft	dawn	Deep basin (93 ft)	Dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger, Kokanee bug + corn
Fall	5 to 40 ft	dawn	open water	Dodger + squid (deeper red/purple), Small spoon
Winter	20 to 80 ft	dawn	Deep basin (93 ft)	Small glow jig + corn or maggot, Tiny spoon

Lake Whitefish fishing at Placid Lake

When the water first warms, lake whitefish slide up into 15 to 45 ft. Summer is a 40 to 90 ft game here, winter a 25 to 70 ft one. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 93 ft of water and rates prime come summer. The feeding windows run early morning. Keep a blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	15 to 45 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow feeding flat (26 ft)	Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small)
Summer	40 to 90 ft	dawn	Deep basin (93 ft)	Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon
Fall	8 to 30 ft	dusk	open water	Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva
Winter	25 to 70 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow feeding flat (26 ft)	Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie

Largemouth Bass fishing at Placid Lake

In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 20 ft before dropping to 15 to 35 ft for winter. Spring largemouth bass concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated feeding flat around 1 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait most summer days.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (1 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow feeding flat (16 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Break off the point (90 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Yellow Perch fishing at Placid Lake

Spring yellow perch on Placid Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. Put Shallow feeding flat first on the milk run — a feeding flat near 26 ft that grades prime for summer. The feeding windows run early morning. The summer box starts with a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 12 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (1 ft)	Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn	Shallow feeding flat (26 ft)	Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm
Fall	12 to 35 ft	midday	Deep basin (93 ft)	Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow feeding flat (26 ft)	Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small)

Brown Trout fishing at Placid Lake

Early season brown trout use the shallows, holding in 3 to 25 ft. Expect a summer slide to 25 to 60 ft, then a winter hold in 5 to 35 ft. Put Main-lake point first on the milk run — a point near 1 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and early morning. Tie on a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines
Summer	25 to 60 ft	night & dawn	Break off the point (90 ft)	Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night)
Fall	5 to 30 ft	dusk & dawn	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon
Winter	5 to 35 ft	dawn	Break off the point (90 ft)	Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow)

Cutthroat Trout fishing at Placid Lake

Early season cutthroat trout use the shallows, holding in 3 to 15 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 35 ft, then a winter hold in 10 to 40 ft. Put Main-lake point first on the milk run — a point near 1 ft that grades prime for fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a trolled spoon (small) or an inline spinner and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon
Summer	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner
Fall	5 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Casting spoon, Inline spinner
Winter	10 to 40 ft	dawn	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig

Placid Lake also holds pumpkinseed (2 to 10 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

Count 8 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 93 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 93 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 90 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 26 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 16 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 1 ft
Secondary point: point, around 1 ft
Shallow bay flat: feeding flat, around 1 ft
Back-bay flat: feeding flat, around 1 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp

Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

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

Check the official Montana fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Placid Lake?

Placid Lake is about 93 ft (28 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 Placid Lake?

Anglers target kokanee, lake whitefish, largemouth bass, yellow perch, brown trout, cutthroat trout, pumpkinseed, rainbow trout on Placid Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Placid Lake?

Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 93 ft of water that rates prime for lake whitefish in summer. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.

When is the best time to fish Placid Lake?

For kokanee, the summer bite is best in early morning. 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 Placid Lake?

Fishing on Placid 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

Tuppers Lake 2 mi · Seeley Lake 5 mi · Salmon Lake 6 mi · Cottonwood Lake, Middle 9 mi · Harpers Lake 10 mi · Lake Inez 11 mi · Lake Elsina 12 mi · Pyramid Lake 12 mi · Morrell Lake 12 mi · Lake Marshall 13 mi · Lake Alva 14 mi · Fly Lake (Missoula) 14 mi

See how Placid Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Montana · best rainbow trout lakes in Montana · best yellow perch lakes in Montana · best brown trout lakes in Montana

More water nearby: Missoula County fishing maps (37 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.