Canyon Ferry Lake fishing: Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout, Walleye
Target species: Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout, Walleye, Cutthroat Trout, Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Yellow Perch
Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep for Brook Trout
Second window: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep for Rainbow Trout
The lake
Canyon Ferry Lake covers 32,911 acres in Montana, across 2 counties: Broadwater and Lewis and Clark. It is a lake: 93.5% of it is 130 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 170 feet (51.8 m). Our records hold 12 species for this water.
Depth and bottom
Deepest measured point: at least 170 ft (51.8 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 93.5% of the water is 130 feet or shallower. We hold 202 depth contour lines for this water.
- 0–10 ft: 3.3% of the water
- 10–20 ft: 9.6% of the water
- 20–30 ft: 14.5% of the water
- 30–40 ft: 11.4% of the water
- 40–50 ft: 11.7% of the water
- 50–60 ft: 8.3% of the water
- 60–70 ft: 6.7% of the water
- 70–80 ft: 6% of the water
- 80–90 ft: 3.6% of the water
- 90–100 ft: 4.9% of the water
- 100–110 ft: 4.1% of the water
- 110–120 ft: 5.4% of the water
- 120–130 ft: 4% of the water
- 130–140 ft: 4.7% of the water
- 140–150 ft: 1.6% of the water
- 150–160 ft: 0.3% of the water
- 160–170 ft: 0.1% of the water
7 target fish, led by Brook Trout
- Brook Trout — Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
- Rainbow Trout — Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
- Walleye — Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
- Cutthroat Trout — Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
- Brown Trout — Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
- Channel Catfish — Best months: Feb, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.
- Yellow Perch — Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
Also recorded here: Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Common Carp.
Stocking: 44,910,310 fish, 1996–2025
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks records list 44,910,310 fish released into this water from 1996 to 2025.
- Rainbow Trout: 40,338,547 in 2006–2025
- Channel Catfish: 120,264 in 1964–1966
- Brown Trout: 90,951 in 1981–1994
- Brook Trout: 15,772 in 1980–1981
3 more species on the stocking list.
Water and conditions
Water temperature averages 53°F across the year. The coldest single reading we hold is 32°F and the warmest is 76°F; the warmest monthly average is 59°F. pH averages 8.3. These readings span 2016–2026.
What is hard here
Wind is the limit, not the fish: 32,911 acres of open water build a short steep chop, and there is no shelter in the middle. Winter water drops to 37°F, and the warm-water species stop feeding well before you do.
Where this data comes from
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks — Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
- Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
