Spring Meadow 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 Spring Meadow 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 Spring Meadow Lake on the board.

Fishing Spring Meadow Lake: what the data says

19-acre lake in Lewis and Clark County, Montana. The lake tops out around 30 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. The season-by-season read for each species follows, from the map's own numbers.

On the chart, Spring Meadow Lake draws 17 acres inside 1.3 miles of shoreline. With a shoreline index of 2.2, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. Roughly 53% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. The basin spans about 0.3 mi end to end. The water lies in Lewis and Clark County. For a second option, Lake Helena lies 9 mi northeast.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Spring Meadow Lake

In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 9 to 30 ft. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for fall largemouth bass. Time it for early morning and the evening. 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	Main-lake point (5 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (5 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (5 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	9 to 30 ft	midday	Break off the point (29 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Yellow Perch fishing at Spring Meadow Lake

Spring yellow perch on Spring Meadow Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 9 to 30 ft. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 29 ft, prime for fall. Prime time lands in 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	open water	Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn	Deep basin (29 ft)	Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm
Fall	9 to 30 ft	midday	Deep basin (29 ft)	Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader
Winter	9 to 30 ft	midday & dawn	Deep basin (29 ft)	Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small)

Cutthroat Trout fishing at Spring Meadow Lake

Early season cutthroat trout use the shallows, holding in 3 to 15 ft. Summer is a 9 to 30 ft game here, winter an 8 to 30 ft one. The chart's best answer is Break off the point — drop-off, 29 ft, prime for summer. Best bite is 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 (5 ft)	Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon
Summer	9 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (29 ft)	Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner
Fall	5 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (5 ft)	Casting spoon, Inline spinner
Winter	8 to 30 ft	dawn	Break off the point (29 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig

Pumpkinseed fishing at Spring Meadow Lake

When the water first warms, pumpkinseed slide up into 1 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 2 to 10 ft, and by winter most fish are in 6 to 18 ft. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Keep a micro tube or a sponge spider (fly) rigged through the warm months.

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	open water	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	6 to 18 ft	dawn	open water	Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon

Rainbow Trout fishing at Spring Meadow Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: rainbow trout in 5 to 20 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 30 ft before dropping to 6 to 30 ft for winter. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 29 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	5 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (5 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	8 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (29 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	9 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (29 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	6 to 30 ft	dawn	Break off the point (29 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Notable structure

Spring Meadow Lake carries 3 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 29 ft down.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 29 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 29 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 5 ft

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

Check the official Montana fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Spring Meadow Lake?

Spring Meadow Lake is about 30 ft (9 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 Spring Meadow Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, yellow perch, cutthroat trout, pumpkinseed, rainbow trout on Spring Meadow Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Spring Meadow Lake?

Main-lake point is the top-rated area: a point in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in fall. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.

When is the best time to fish Spring Meadow 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 Spring Meadow Lake?

Fishing on Spring Meadow 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

Lake Helena 9 mi · Hauser Lake 14 mi · Canyon Ferry Reservoir 23 mi · Hound Creek Reservoir 33 mi · Nevada Reservoir 36 mi · Missouri River 40 mi · Heart Lake (Lewis and Clark) 45 mi · Gollaher Reservoir 47 mi · Parker Lake 49 mi · Browns Lake 50 mi · Bean Lake 51 mi · Coopers Lake 51 mi

See how Spring Meadow Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Montana · best rainbow trout lakes in Montana · best yellow perch lakes in Montana · best cutthroat trout lakes in Montana

More water nearby: Lewis and Clark County fishing maps (9 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.