Seeley Lake fishing: Rainbow Trout, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike

Target species: Rainbow Trout, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Cutthroat Trout, Yellow Perch, Pumpkinseed

The lake

Seeley Lake covers 1,046 acres in Montana, across Missoula County. It is a lake: the deepest point measured is at least 120 feet (36.6 m). Our records hold 7 species for this water.

Seeley Lake RD Sunset on the Clearwater chain of lakes & Swan Mountains (37885434795).jpg
Forest Service - Northern Region · Public domain

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 120 ft (36.6 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. We hold 41 depth contour lines for this water.

Seeley Lake Montana 20130716 04.JPG
Djembayz · CC BY-SA 3.0
  • 0–10 ft: 9.2% of the water
  • 10–20 ft: 10% of the water
  • 20–30 ft: 9.6% of the water
  • 30–40 ft: 11% of the water
  • 40–50 ft: 12.5% of the water
  • 50–60 ft: 8.2% of the water
  • 60–70 ft: 6.9% of the water
  • 70–80 ft: 5.2% of the water
  • 80–90 ft: 4.6% of the water
  • 90–100 ft: 5.2% of the water
  • 100–110 ft: 6.3% of the water
  • 110–120 ft: 11.5% of the water

6 target fish, led by Rainbow Trout

  • Rainbow Trout — Feeding water: 50–65°F.
  • Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Northern Pike — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • Cutthroat Trout — Feeding water: 50–65°F.
  • Yellow Perch — Feeding water: 45–75°F.
  • Pumpkinseed — Feeding water: 65–80°F.

Also recorded here: Smallmouth Bass.

Seeley Lake Montana 20130716 02.JPG
Djembayz · CC BY-SA 3.0

Stocking: 7,824,426 fish, 1993–2024

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks records list 7,824,426 fish released into this water from 1993 to 2024.

  • Rainbow Trout: 1,454,044 in 1982–2002
  • Cutthroat Trout: 1,017,253 in 1939–1957
  • Largemouth Bass: 189,380 in 1928–1995

6 more species on the stocking list.

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 10.8–18.1 feet on our readings, averaging 14.7 feet, from 66 readings. Our water temperature readings average 66°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. These readings span 2017–2019. The latest reading is from 2019, more than three years ago: read these numbers as history, not as the water today.

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.