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Fishing South Sandstone Reservoir: what the data says
184-acre reservoir near Montana. The lake tops out around 20 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.
Walleye fishing at South Sandstone Reservoir
In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 6 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 6 to 20 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 13 ft, rated prime for fall walleye. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Summer baits: a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 6 to 20 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 6 to 20 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 6 to 20 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Crappie fishing at South Sandstone Reservoir
Spring crappie on South Sandstone Reservoir hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 6 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 6 to 20 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 20 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 6 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 6 to 20 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Northern Pike fishing at South Sandstone Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: northern pike sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring northern pike. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Largemouth Bass fishing at South Sandstone Reservoir
Spring largemouth bass on South Sandstone Reservoir hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 6 to 20 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 6 to 20 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Yellow Perch fishing at South Sandstone Reservoir
In spring, yellow perch run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 6 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 6 to 20 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 20 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 6 to 20 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 6 to 20 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 6 to 20 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Pumpkinseed fishing at South Sandstone Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: pumpkinseed sit in 1 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 2 to 10 ft, and winter fish settle into 6 to 18 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. A micro tube or a sponge spider (fly) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | midday & dusk | Micro jig under a float, Tiny beetle-spin |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dusk & dawn | Micro tube, Sponge spider (fly) |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | dusk & dawn | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 6 to 18 ft | dawn | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
South Sandstone Reservoir also holds smallmouth bass (6 to 20 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 20 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 13 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 7 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 4 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is South Sandstone Reservoir?
South Sandstone Reservoir is about 20 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 South Sandstone Reservoir?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, crappie, yellow perch, pumpkinseed on South Sandstone Reservoir.
Where is the best fishing spot on South Sandstone Reservoir?
Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 13 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish South Sandstone Reservoir?
For walleye, the summer bite is best in the evening and early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Gartside Reservoir · Spotted Eagle Lake · Castle Rock Reservoir · Boxelder Lake · Valley Reservoir · Paulo Reservoir
See how South Sandstone Reservoir stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Montana · best smallmouth bass lakes in Montana · best walleye lakes in Montana · best northern pike 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.