How's the bite at Canyon Ferry Lake today? Picky — save your energy for the evening.

Questions people ask about Canyon Ferry Lake

Answered from the same readings as the rest of this page. Where we have no basis for an answer, there is no entry — spot-by-spot local knowledge is not something we can claim for Canyon Ferry Lake.

Is it worth fishing Canyon Ferry Lake today?

5 out of 10 — picky. Work for it. The strongest stretch is 9:51 AM–11:51 AM. That number is worked out fresh each morning from the solunar windows, the pressure trend, the water level.

What time should you fish Canyon Ferry Lake?

Today's major windows run 9:51 AM–11:51 AM and 10:16 PM–12:16 AM, with minor windows at 2:00 AM–3:00 AM and 6:30 PM–7:30 PM. Sunrise is 6:36 AM and sunset 8:20 PM. A major landing on first or last light is the stretch worth setting an alarm for.

What is the water temperature at Canyon Ferry Lake?

No gauge on Canyon Ferry Lake measures water temperature. US reservoir gauges report height, not temperature — so rather than estimate it, this page leaves it out and leans on the windows and the pressure trend instead.

What is the water level at Canyon Ferry Lake right now?

3788.05 ft, the reading for August 23 from the Canyon Ferry Lake Dam Powerplant and Helena Valley Pumping Plant gauge run by the USBR, which publishes one value a day. Over 24 hours it is down 0.12 ft.

Can you eat the fish you catch in Canyon Ferry Lake?

That is a health question, and it is answered officially rather than by us. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, with the health and environmental departments publishes the fish consumption advisory covering these waters, where issued as one statewide document rather than a searchable database, with 21 new or revised PFAS advisories in 2026. Read it before you keep a meal — we give no eating advice.

Montana FWP fish consumption advisory

Do you need a licence to fish Canyon Ferry Lake?

Yes. A Montana fishing license covers this water, required from age 12. FWP sets the rules and is the one that counts.

What a Montana license costs, and who is exempt

What size fish can you keep in Montana?

It depends on the species, and several have slot limits rather than a simple minimum. Open to harvest today: combined trout (brown, rainbow, golden, cutthroat and grayling), largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike. Seasons here change mid-year by agency order, so the status is re-checked every morning.

Combined trout (brown, rainbow, golden, cutthroat and grayling) limits · Largemouth bass limits · Smallmouth bass limits · Northern pike limits · Check a length against the rules