Bighorn Lake fishing: Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Smallmouth Bass
Target species: Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Smallmouth Bass, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, White Crappie, Yellow Perch
Boat: 1 ramp or launch on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at High Water Ramp.
The reservoir
Bighorn Lake covers 10,621 acres in Montana, across 2 counties: Big Horn and Carbon. It is a reservoir: 92.1% of it is 275 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 440 feet (134.1 m). Our records hold 24 species for this water. 46% of the water lies in Wyoming.
Depth and bottom
Deepest measured point: at least 440 ft (134.1 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 92.1% of the water is 275 feet or shallower. We hold 594 depth contour lines for this water.
- 0–25 ft: 14.2% of the water
- 25–50 ft: 31.9% of the water
- 50–75 ft: 8.5% of the water
- 75–100 ft: 4.8% of the water
- 100–125 ft: 5.3% of the water
- 125–150 ft: 5.7% of the water
- 150–175 ft: 5.7% of the water
- 175–200 ft: 5.1% of the water
- 200–225 ft: 4.4% of the water
- 225–250 ft: 3.8% of the water
- 250–275 ft: 2.7% of the water
- 275–300 ft: 1.9% of the water
- 300–325 ft: 2.2% of the water
- 325–350 ft: 1.5% of the water
- 350–375 ft: 1.1% of the water
- 375–400 ft: 1.2% of the water
- 400–425 ft: 0.2% of the water
7 target fish, led by Largemouth Bass
- Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
- Walleye — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
- Smallmouth Bass — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
- Cutthroat Trout — Feeding water: 50–65°F.
- Rainbow Trout — Feeding water: 50–65°F.
- White Crappie — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
- Yellow Perch — Feeding water: 45–75°F.
Also recorded here: Striped Bass, Sauger, Bluegill, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Longnose Sucker, River Carpsucker, Black Bullhead, Shorthead Redhorse, White Sucker, Black Crappie, Green Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Common Carp, Emerald Shiner, Spottail Shiner, Fathead Minnow.
Stocking: 111,488,210 fish, 1993–2025
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks records list 111,488,210 fish released into this water from 1993 to 2025.
- Walleye: 103,534,325 in 2003–2025
- Rainbow Trout: 3,840,226 in 1965–2016
- Lake Trout: 1,803,332 in 1965–1981
- Sauger: 346,304 in 2011–2014
- White Crappie: 2,700 in 1984–1986
4 more species on the stocking list.
1 ramp or launch on this water
On this water we hold 1 boat ramp.
- High Water Ramp — on Big Horn Lake, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area.
The place listed has no fee or opening hours on file: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.
What is hard here
Wind is the limit, not the fish: 10,621 acres of open water build a short steep chop, and there is no shelter in the middle. Only 1 public ramp is on file, so the launch decides where you fish.
Where this data comes from
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks — Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
- EPA NLA — EPA National Lakes Assessment: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
- U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (RISE) — USBR area-capacity tables (RISE): class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
