All waters · Montana · Fort Peck Lake

Fort Peck Lake, MT

Reservoir in Valley County, Montana. A roughly 245,000-acre reservoir on the Missouri River in northeast Montana, one of the largest man-made lakes in the United States behind Fort Peck Dam. It is Montana's premier mixed-bag fishery: trophy walleye, sauger, northern pike, smallmouth bass, lake trout, and Chinook salmon all share the cold, deep water. The lake's enormous size and remote, roadless shoreline make a boat essential. Spring walleye runs up the river arms and fall salmon snagging are the signature seasons. Elevation roughly 2,250 ft.

62

Overall bite score

Scored 19 min ago · recomputed every 30 minutes

Water tempModeled100
Pressure trendNOAAfalling60
SolunarComputedmoon 46% lit43
Recent stockingState data50
Time of dayComputed50
WindNOAA50
Cloud coverNOAA35
PrecipitationNOAA50

Each instrument reads 0 to 100. The score is their weighted blend, tuned for lakes and reservoirs. No black box: every reading names its source.

What swims here

8 tracked species in Fort Peck Lake, with the months each fishes best.

Walleyeabundant · best May-Jul, Sep-Oct
Channel Catfishcommon · best Jun-Aug
Lake Troutcommon · best May-Jun, Sep-Nov
Northern Pikecommon · best Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct
Saugercommon · best May-Jun, Sep-Oct
Smallmouth Basscommon · best Jun-Sep
Black Crappierare · best May-Jun
Chinook Salmonrare · best Sep-Oct

Water facts

TypeReservoir
CountyValley
StateMontana
WaterFreshwater

Major access at Fort Peck Marina, Hell Creek, Rock Creek, and the Pines. No reliable live in-lake or below-dam USGS gauge, so water temperature uses a seasonal baseline. A Montana fishing license is required; a separate salmon stamp is needed to fish for Chinook. The lake is huge and remote with few facilities; carry full safety gear.

See the full forecast for Fort Peck Lake in the app: best windows, 7-day outlook, what to bring, and offline regulations. The score and essentials are free.

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