Summit Lake (Missoula) 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 Summit Lake (Missoula)

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 Summit Lake (Missoula) on the board.

Fishing Summit Lake (Missoula): what the data says

28-acre lake in Missoula County, Montana. The lake tops out around 7 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. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.

Traced from the shoreline, Summit Lake (Missoula) runs 28 acres with 0.8 miles of edge. At index 1.1 the outline is almost a bowl — read the depth changes, not the shoreline. All of it is shallow-zone water — under ~15 ft across the entire basin, so the food chain has the run of the place. Call it 0.3 mi long by 0.2 mi wide at the broadest reach. The water lies in Missoula County. For a second option, Pierce Lake lies 1 mi north.

Pumpkinseed fishing at Summit Lake (Missoula)

Come spring, look for pumpkinseed tight to the bank in 1 to 7 ft. Through summer count on 1 to 7 ft; the winter hold is 2 to 7 ft. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 2 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in the evening and early morning. A micro tube or a sponge spider (fly) is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 7 ft	midday & dusk	Shallow bay flat (2 ft)	Micro jig under a float, Tiny beetle-spin
Summer	1 to 7 ft	dusk & dawn	Shallow bay flat (2 ft)	Micro tube, Sponge spider (fly)
Fall	2 to 7 ft	dusk & dawn	Shallow bay flat (2 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	2 to 7 ft	dawn	Shallow bay flat (2 ft)	Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon

Cutthroat Trout fishing at Summit Lake (Missoula)

Spring cutthroat trout on Summit Lake (Missoula) hold shallow, usually 1 to 7 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 2 to 7 ft in summer, 2 to 7 ft once it turns cold. Put Break off the point first on the milk run — a drop-off near 5 ft that grades prime for summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a trolled spoon (small) or an inline spinner.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 7 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (2 ft)	Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon
Summer	2 to 7 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (5 ft)	Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner
Fall	1 to 7 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (2 ft)	Casting spoon, Inline spinner
Winter	2 to 7 ft	dawn	Break off the point (5 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig

Notable structure

4 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 7 ft, is the deepest of them.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 7 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 5 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 2 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft

Summit Lake (Missoula) 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 Summit Lake (Missoula) specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Montana fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Summit Lake (Missoula)?

Summit Lake (Missoula) is about 7 ft (2 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 Summit Lake (Missoula)?

Anglers target pumpkinseed, cutthroat trout on Summit Lake (Missoula).

Where is the best fishing spot on Summit Lake (Missoula)?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for pumpkinseed in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.

When is the best time to fish Summit Lake (Missoula)?

For pumpkinseed, 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.

What are the fishing regulations for Summit Lake (Missoula)?

Fishing on Summit Lake (Missoula) 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

Pierce Lake 1 mi · Colt Lake 2 mi · Rainy Lake 3 mi · Clearwater Lake 3 mi · Lake Alva 5 mi · Lindbergh Lake 5 mi · Holland Lake 5 mi · Lick Lake (Missoula) 6 mi · Lake Marshall 6 mi · South Meadow Lake 7 mi · Lake Inez 7 mi · Woodward Lake 9 mi

See how Summit Lake (Missoula) stacks up: best cutthroat trout lakes in Montana · best pumpkinseed 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.