Spencer 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.

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Recent catches at Spencer 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 Spencer Lake on the board.

Fishing Spencer Lake: what the data says

25-acre lake in Flathead County, Montana. The lake tops out around 15 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. Species by species, here's what the data says the year looks like.

The drawn water covers 25 acres wrapped in 0.9 miles of bank. The basin is a simple one (shoreline index 1.3) — close to a bowl, so the structure on the chart matters more than the bank. The basin spans about 0.4 mi end to end. It sits in Flathead County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Skyles Lake, is 1 mi to the northeast.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Spencer Lake

Spring largemouth bass on Spencer Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 5 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. Put Break off the point first on the milk run — a drop-off near 10 ft that grades prime for winter. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	5 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (10 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	5 to 15 ft	midday	Break off the point (10 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Yellow Perch fishing at Spencer Lake

In spring, yellow perch run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 5 to 15 ft before dropping to 5 to 15 ft for winter. Fall yellow perch concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 15 ft. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm most summer days.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 12 ft	midday & dawn	open water	Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank
Summer	5 to 15 ft	dawn	Deep basin (15 ft)	Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm
Fall	5 to 15 ft	midday	Deep basin (15 ft)	Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader
Winter	5 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Deep basin (15 ft)	Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small)

Northern Pike fishing at Spencer Lake

Early season northern pike use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Summer is a 5 to 15 ft game here, winter a 5 to 15 ft one. The chart's best answer is Break off the point — drop-off, 10 ft, prime for fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	open water	#5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white)
Summer	5 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (10 ft)	Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage
Fall	5 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Break off the point (10 ft)	Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait
Winter	5 to 15 ft	midday	Break off the point (10 ft)	Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon

Cutthroat Trout fishing at Spencer Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: cutthroat trout in 3 to 15 ft. The depth story barely changes: 4 to 15 ft through summer, 4 to 15 ft in winter. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 10 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 an inline spinner gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (10 ft)	Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon
Summer	4 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (10 ft)	Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner
Fall	3 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Casting spoon, Inline spinner
Winter	4 to 15 ft	dawn	Break off the point (10 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig

Pumpkinseed fishing at Spencer Lake

In spring, pumpkinseed run shallow here, mostly 1 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 2 to 10 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 15 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 15 ft, rated prime for winter pumpkinseed. Time it for the evening and early morning. You won't need more than a micro tube or a sponge spider (fly) most summer days.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 8 ft	midday & dusk	open water	Micro jig under a float, Tiny beetle-spin
Summer	2 to 10 ft	dusk & dawn	open water	Micro tube, Sponge spider (fly)
Fall	4 to 14 ft	dusk & dawn	Break off the point (10 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	5 to 15 ft	dawn	Deep basin (15 ft)	Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon

Notable structure

Count 4 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 15 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 15 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 10 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 1 ft
Secondary point: point, around 1 ft

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

Check the official Montana fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Spencer Lake?

Spencer Lake is about 15 ft (5 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 Spencer Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, yellow perch, northern pike, cutthroat trout, pumpkinseed on Spencer Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Spencer Lake?

Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in winter. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.

When is the best time to fish Spencer Lake?

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.

What are the fishing regulations for Spencer Lake?

Fishing on Spencer 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

Skyles Lake 1 mi · Blanchard Lake 3 mi · Beaver Lake 3 mi · Little Beaver Lake 3 mi · Murray Lake 3 mi · Woods Lake 4 mi · Bootjack Lake (Flathead) 4 mi · Whitefish Lake 4 mi · Tally Lake 6 mi · Lower Stillwater Lake 11 mi · Bailey Lake 14 mi · Upper Martin Lake 15 mi

See how Spencer Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Montana · best northern pike lakes in Montana · best yellow perch lakes in Montana · best cutthroat trout lakes in Montana

More water nearby: Flathead County fishing maps (55 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.