Fresno Reservoir fishing: Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye

Target species: Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, Yellow Perch, Lake Whitefish

The reservoir

Fresno Reservoir covers 4,635 acres in Montana, across Hill County. It is a reservoir: 92.4% of it is 36 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is ≈44.9 feet (13.7 m); at the dam, USGS RESSED gives 75 feet (22.9 m) at full pool. Our records hold 14 species for this water.

Fresno Reservoir at dusk, Hill County, Montana.jpg
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7 target fish, led by Rainbow Trout

  • Rainbow Trout — Feeding water: 50–65°F.
  • Smallmouth Bass — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
  • Walleye — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Black Crappie — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
  • Yellow Perch — Feeding water: 45–75°F.
  • Lake Whitefish — Feeding water: 40–55°F.

Also recorded here: Northern Pike, Pumpkinseed, White Crappie, Brown Trout, White Sucker, Spottail Shiner, Emerald Shiner.

Stocking: 13,273,369 fish, 1969–2025

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks records list 13,273,369 fish released into this water from 1969 to 2025.

  • Walleye: 6,678,550 in 1989–2025
  • Rainbow Trout: 630,487 in 1945–2021
  • Yellow Perch: 111,195 in 1968–2007
  • White Crappie: 40,000 in 1991
  • Smallmouth Bass: 30,254 in 1976–1982
  • Brown Trout: 24,000 in 1949
  • White Sucker: 15,761 in 1997–2007
  • Emerald Shiner: 4,500 in 1967–1968

3 more species on the stocking list.

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: ≈44.9 ft (13.7 m). USGS RESSED gives 75 ft (22.9 m) at the dam at full pool: a measured figure, not a survey map. 92.4% of the water is 36 feet or shallower. We hold 92 depth contours for this water, drawn from 86,284 soundings.

  • 0–3 ft: 29.5% of the water
  • 3–6 ft: 14.6% of the water
  • 6–9 ft: 6.7% of the water
  • 9–12 ft: 5.8% of the water
  • 12–15 ft: 4.4% of the water
  • 15–18 ft: 3.5% of the water
  • 18–21 ft: 4.9% of the water
  • 21–24 ft: 3.6% of the water
  • 24–27 ft: 3.8% of the water
  • 27–30 ft: 3.3% of the water
  • 30–33 ft: 4.5% of the water
  • 33–36 ft: 7.8% of the water
  • 36–39 ft: 5.3% of the water
  • 39–42 ft: 2.4% of the water

Where this data comes from

  • US Bureau of Reclamation — USBR reservoir sedimentation surveys: class A, a survey of the bottom, 2010.
  • USGS RESSED — USGS RESSED reservoir sedimentation database: 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.
  • 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.

Part of these depths rest on an averaged water level, so they are approximate (≈).