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Fishing Swan Lake: what the data says
5,430-acre lake near Montana. The lake tops out around 120 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.
Brook Trout fishing at Swan Lake
Start shallow in spring: brook trout sit in 2 to 15 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 3 to 20 ft. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 17 ft of water that rates prime for brook trout in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm |
| Fall | 2 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Small spoon (orange), Spinner |
| Winter | 3 to 20 ft | dawn | Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic |
Lake Trout fishing at Swan Lake
Spring lake trout on Swan Lake hold shallow, usually 10 to 40 ft. By summer they slide out to 50 to 120 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 80 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 120 ft, rated prime for summer lake trout. Best bite is early morning. Summer baits: a white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
Kokanee fishing at Swan Lake
Spring kokanee on Swan Lake hold shallow, usually 10 to 30 ft. They move out to 30 to 70 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 80 ft. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 17 ft of water that rates prime for kokanee in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger or a kokanee bug + corn gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Small dodger + squid (pink), Wedding-ring spinner + corn |
| Summer | 30 to 70 ft | dawn | Dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger, Kokanee bug + corn |
| Fall | 5 to 40 ft | dawn | Dodger + squid (deeper red/purple), Small spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Small glow jig + corn or maggot, Tiny spoon |
Lake Whitefish fishing at Swan Lake
Spring lake whitefish on Swan Lake hold shallow, usually 15 to 45 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 40 to 90 ft, and winter fish settle into 25 to 70 ft. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 17 ft of water that rates prime for lake whitefish in spring. Best bite is early morning. Summer baits: a blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 15 to 45 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small) |
| Summer | 40 to 90 ft | dawn | Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | dusk | Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva |
| Winter | 25 to 70 ft | midday & dawn | Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie |
Yellow Perch fishing at Swan Lake
Spring yellow perch on Swan 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 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Summer baits: a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Northern Pike fishing at Swan Lake
Spring northern pike on Swan Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 15 ft. Weed flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring northern pike. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.
| 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 |
Swan Lake also holds rainbow trout (8 to 30 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), cutthroat trout (10 to 35 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 120 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 30 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 29 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 29 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 24 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 23 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 18 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 17 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 10 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 8 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Swan Lake?
Swan Lake is about 120 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 Swan Lake?
Anglers target northern pike, rainbow trout, yellow perch, lake trout, brook trout, kokanee, lake whitefish, cutthroat trout, pumpkinseed on Swan Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Swan Lake?
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 120 ft of water that rates prime for lake trout in summer. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Swan Lake?
For brook trout, 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.
Nearby waters
Horseshoe Lake (Lake) · Loon Lake (Lake) · North Biglow Lake · Big Hawk Lake · Pilgrim Lake · Margaret Lake (Flathead)
See how Swan Lake stacks up: best northern pike lakes in Montana · best rainbow trout lakes in Montana · best yellow perch lakes in Montana · best lake trout 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.