Lake Alva fishing: Largemouth Bass, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout

Target species: Largemouth Bass, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout

The lake

Lake Alva covers 309 acres in Montana, across Missoula County. It is a lake: 90.2% of it is 85 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 90 feet (27.4 m). Our records hold 4 species for this water.

Lake Alva MT.jpg
CV1958 (Colin Viney) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 90 ft (27.4 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 90.2% of the water is 85 feet or shallower. We hold 40 depth contour lines for this water.

Lake Alva Birch-Hemlock.jpg
Joshua Mayer from Madison, WI, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • 0–5 ft: 1.6% of the water
  • 5–10 ft: 4.1% of the water
  • 10–15 ft: 5.4% of the water
  • 15–20 ft: 5.9% of the water
  • 20–25 ft: 5.8% of the water
  • 25–30 ft: 5.7% of the water
  • 30–35 ft: 5.9% of the water
  • 35–40 ft: 6.6% of the water
  • 40–45 ft: 7.4% of the water
  • 45–50 ft: 6.9% of the water
  • 50–55 ft: 5.3% of the water
  • 55–60 ft: 5.4% of the water
  • 60–65 ft: 5.2% of the water
  • 65–70 ft: 4.5% of the water
  • 70–75 ft: 4.1% of the water
  • 75–80 ft: 4.5% of the water
  • 80–85 ft: 5.9% of the water
  • 85–90 ft: 9.7% of the water

Stocking: 2,231,158 fish, 1996–2025

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks records list 2,231,158 fish released into this water from 1996 to 2025.

  • Cutthroat Trout: 902,683 in 1944–1969
  • Largemouth Bass: 13,210 in 1928–1936
  • Rainbow Trout: 7,940 in 1941–1948

2 more species on the stocking list.

3 target fish, led by Largemouth Bass

  • Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Cutthroat Trout — Feeding water: 50–65°F.
  • Rainbow Trout — Feeding water: 50–65°F.

Also recorded here: Yellow Perch.

Water and conditions

Our water temperature readings average 60°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. These readings span 2017–2024.

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.