Swan 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.

Loading depth chart…

Recent catches at Swan 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 Swan Lake on the board.

Fishing Swan Lake: what the data says

5,430-acre lake in Lake County, 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 16 ft of water that rates prime for brook trout in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (16 ft)	Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm
Fall	2 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Rock reef (3 ft)	Small spoon (orange), Spinner
Winter	3 to 20 ft	dawn	Break off the point (16 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic

Lake Trout fishing at Swan Lake

Start shallow in spring: lake trout sit in 10 to 40 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 50 to 120 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 80 ft. Top water on the chart: Deep basin, a deep basin in the 120 ft range, prime in summer. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	10 to 40 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (16 ft)	Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow)
Summer	50 to 120 ft	dawn	Deep basin (120 ft)	White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger
Fall	10 to 50 ft	dusk & dawn	Rock reef (3 ft)	Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs
Winter	20 to 80 ft	dawn	Break off the point (16 ft)	White tube jig, Airplane jig

Kokanee fishing at Swan Lake

Start shallow in spring: kokanee sit in 10 to 30 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 30 to 70 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 80 ft. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 16 ft of water that rates prime for kokanee in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. Throw a dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger or a kokanee bug + corn until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	10 to 30 ft	dawn	Break off the point (16 ft)	Small dodger + squid (pink), Wedding-ring spinner + corn
Summer	30 to 70 ft	dawn	Deep basin (120 ft)	Dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger, Kokanee bug + corn
Fall	5 to 40 ft	dawn	Break off the point (16 ft)	Dodger + squid (deeper red/purple), Small spoon
Winter	20 to 80 ft	dawn	Break off the point (16 ft)	Small glow jig + corn or maggot, Tiny spoon

Lake Whitefish fishing at Swan Lake

When the water first warms, lake whitefish slide up into 15 to 45 ft. Summer is a 40 to 90 ft game here, winter a 25 to 70 ft one. Start at Break off the point. It's a drop-off holding about 16 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning. Keep a blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	15 to 45 ft	midday & dawn	Break off the point (16 ft)	Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small)
Summer	40 to 90 ft	dawn	Deep basin (120 ft)	Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon
Fall	8 to 30 ft	dusk	Rock reef (3 ft)	Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva
Winter	25 to 70 ft	midday & dawn	Feeding flat (26 ft)	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. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. Put Break off the point first on the milk run — a drop-off near 16 ft that grades prime for summer. The feeding windows run 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	Feeding flat (6 ft)	Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn	Break off the point (16 ft)	Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm
Fall	12 to 35 ft	midday	Break off the point (16 ft)	Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday & dawn	Break off the point (16 ft)	Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small)

Northern Pike fishing at Swan Lake

Spring puts northern pike in skinny water — 2 to 8 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 20 ft; cold water stacks them in 5 to 15 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 16 ft, rated prime for fall 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	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	Feeding flat (6 ft)	#5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white)
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (16 ft)	Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday & dawn	Break off the point (16 ft)	Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait
Winter	5 to 15 ft	midday	Feeding flat (6 ft)	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

12 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 120 ft, is the deepest of them.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 120 ft
Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 30 ft
Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 26 ft
Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 20 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 16 ft
Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 6 ft
Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 6 ft
Rock reef: rock pile, around 3 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 1 ft
Secondary point: point, around 1 ft
Shallow bay flat: feeding flat, around 1 ft
Back-bay flat: feeding flat, around 1 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp

Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

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

Check the official Montana fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Swan Lake?

Swan Lake is about 120 ft (37 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 Swan Lake?

Anglers target brook trout, lake trout, kokanee, lake whitefish, yellow perch, northern pike, rainbow trout, pumpkinseed, cutthroat trout 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. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by 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.

What are the fishing regulations for Swan Lake?

Fishing on Swan 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

Horseshoe Lake (Lake) 5 mi · Loon Lake (Lake) 5 mi · North Biglow Lake 7 mi · Big Hawk Lake 10 mi · Margaret Lake (Flathead) 10 mi · Pilgrim Lake 10 mi · Birch Lake 12 mi · Mccaffery Lake 12 mi · Abbot Lake 12 mi · Echo Lake (Flathead) 13 mi · Handkerchief Lake 13 mi · Peterson Lake 13 mi

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

More water nearby: Lake County fishing maps (12 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.