Hauser Lake fishing: Rainbow Trout, Walleye, Largemouth Bass

Target species: Rainbow Trout, Walleye, Largemouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Brown Trout, Bluegill
Best months: May, Jun, Jul, Oct for Rainbow Trout
Second window: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep for Walleye
Boat: 1 ramp or launch on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at York Bridge.

The lake

Hauser Lake covers 3,162 acres in Montana, across Lewis and Clark County. It is a lake: 95.1% of it is 50 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 150 feet (45.7 m). Our records hold 6 species for this water.

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 150 ft (45.7 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 95.1% of the water is 50 feet or shallower. We hold 97 depth contour lines for this water.

Hauser Lake Rainbow.jpg
Brett from Missoula, MT · CC BY 2.0
  • 0–10 ft: 21.2% of the water
  • 10–20 ft: 21.4% of the water
  • 20–30 ft: 28.4% of the water
  • 30–40 ft: 13% of the water
  • 40–50 ft: 11.1% of the water
  • 50–60 ft: 4.1% of the water
  • 60–70 ft: 0.1% of the water
  • 70–80 ft: 0.1% of the water
  • 80–90 ft: 0.2% of the water
  • 90–100 ft: 0.1% of the water
  • 100–110 ft: 0.1% of the water
  • 110–120 ft: 0.2% of the water
  • 120–130 ft: 0.1% of the water

6 target fish, led by Rainbow Trout

  • Rainbow Trout — Best months: May, Jun, Jul, Oct.
  • Walleye — Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
  • Largemouth Bass — Best months: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.
  • Yellow Perch — Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
  • Brown Trout — Best months: May, Jun, Jul, Oct.
  • Bluegill — Best months: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.

Stocking: 17,699,686 fish, 1996–2026

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks records list 17,699,686 fish released into this water from 1996 to 2026.

  • Rainbow Trout: 11,723,241 in 2005–2025
  • Brown Trout: 1,914,880 in 1931–1937
  • Walleye: 50,322 in 1989–1998
  • Yellow Perch: 10,659 in 1938–1940
  • Largemouth Bass: 8,634 in 1938–1940
  • Bluegill: 8,206 in 1938–1940

4 more species on the stocking list.

Hauser Dam Trail Canyon.jpg
Faith Wilson from Woodinville, WA, U.S.A. · CC BY-SA 2.0

Water and conditions

Our water temperature readings average 57°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. The coldest single reading we hold is 34°F and the warmest is 70°F; the warmest monthly average is 62°F. pH averages 8.2. These readings span 2016–2026.

1 ramp or launch on this water

On this water we hold 1 boat ramp and 1 shore access point.

  • York Bridge — on Hauser Reservoir. website myfwp.mt.gov/fishMT/fas/39753478

Shore access for bank fishing

  • Causeway website myfwp.mt.gov/fishMT/fas/39753442

Fee and opening hours are blank for all 2 places in this list: 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

Only 1 public ramp is on file, so the launch decides where you fish. Winter water drops to 45°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.