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Canyon Ferry Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Canyon Ferry Reservoir near Helena: 33,500 acres where FWP limits walleye to 10 a day and brown trout go back.

2/5
Slow. The wind owns today.28 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.
Water temp
~55 F est.
Air / High
39 / 56 F
Wind
NW 27 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. The wind owns today.28 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.

Canyon Ferry Lake feels the season turning: shorter days, grouping fish. Today brings cloud cover, wind NW around 27 mph, rising pressure near 1011 hPa and a high of 56. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:03 AM-12:03 PM and 10:34 PM-12:34 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

Brown troutExcellent

Close to Vermont's 53-66°F optimum, browns feed more freely; in fall, pre-spawn fish move toward tributaries and gravel, so fish streamers and keep off the redds.

WalleyeGood

Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Northern pikeGood

The best band for pike: right after ice-out they move into flooded vegetated shallows to spawn, and they feed actively again as the water cools in fall.

Yellow perchGood

Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 47 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

Montana requires a fishing licence from age 12, from $31.00 for residents. What a Montana licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing walleye here? Check the size and bag limits with FWP before you keep anything. The season dates for Montana, read off the agency, are on the Montana seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp39 F
High / Low56 / 34 F
WindNW 27-32 mph
Pressure1010.6 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 100%
Sunrise / Sunset07:55 / 18:25
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~55 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Which day to fish Canyon Ferry Lake this week

The best day on Canyon Ferry Lake this week looks like Saturday Oct 24, at 3 out of 5, against 2 today.

Best day this week: Saturday, Oct 24 — fair at 3/5, rising pressure behind a front, typically the slowest.

Today, Oct 23 — Tough

28 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.

Solunar majors
10:03 AM-12:03 PM and 10:34 PM-12:34 AM
Minor period
4:29 AM-5:29 AM
Sun
07:55 to 18:25
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Rain, 28 mph
Rain chance
100%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Canyon Ferry Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: cool water, from ice-out through spring, in fall and under the ice

A long, duck-billed predator of weedy lakes, slow rivers and backwaters that ambushes fish from vegetation. Wisconsin DNR points out that, unlike most of the state's common game fish, pike do their best feeding in cool water. The best band for pike: right after ice-out they move into flooded vegetated shallows to spawn, and they feed actively again as the water cools in fall.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Caught all year, including under the ice through winter

Yellow perch are schooling panfish of the Great Lakes and northern lakes, and Michigan DNR calls them the game fish most often caught in that state. Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Close to Vermont's 53-66°F optimum, browns feed more freely; in fall, pre-spawn fish move toward tributaries and gravel, so fish streamers and keep off the redds.

When to come: the Canyon Ferry Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Walleye
Northern pike
Yellow perch
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 55 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Canyon Ferry Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 70 F, wind to 14 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 69 F, wind to 18 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 63 F, wind to 10 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Montana requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

FWP 2026 (Central District exception): walleye 10 a day, only 1 over 15 in.; perch 10; northern pike no limit; brown trout catch-and-release (anglers 14 and under may keep 1); Magpie Bay closed Mar 1–Jun 14; through the ice 6 lines, 2 hooks each.

Access

Reclamation's Canyon Ferry recreation areas; Court Sheriff and Hellgate campgrounds reservable at recreation.gov.

About this water

Canyon Ferry Reservoir on the Missouri River near Helena, Montana; 33,500 surface acres (Reclamation).

Fishing Canyon Ferry Lake: the full guide

The reservoir

Reclamation's Canyon Ferry Field Office manages the reservoir near Helena, which it gives as 33,500 surface acres with 96 miles of shoreline. It names rainbow trout, perch, ling and walleye as the fishing, along with camping and boating; Court Sheriff and Hellgate campsites and group shelters can be reserved through recreation.gov.

FWP's Canyon Ferry rules

FWP's 2026 regulations allow 10 walleye a day with only one over 15 inches, and a possession limit of twice the daily limit. Yellow perch are 10 a day and in possession, and northern pike have no limit. Brown trout are catch-and-release, except that anglers 14 or younger may keep one. Magpie Bay is closed as posted from March 1 through June 14.

Winter and invasive plants

Spearing northern pike through the ice is open, and ice anglers may use 6 lines with 2 hooks per line. FWP lists the Missouri River from the Three Forks confluence to the head of Canyon Ferry as contaminated with Eurasian watermilfoil, which brings bait-collection limits and a requirement to clear all plant fragments from gear.

Common questions

How many walleye can I keep at Canyon Ferry?

Ten a day, only one of them longer than 15 inches, with a possession limit of 20 (FWP 2026).

Can I keep a brown trout?

Not if you are over 14: brown trout are catch-and-release on Canyon Ferry, with one fish allowed for anglers 14 and younger.

Is any part of the reservoir closed?

Magpie Bay, as posted, from March 1 through June 14.

Is fishing good at Canyon Ferry Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. The wind owns today. 28 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.

Nearby waters

Gallatin River34 miJefferson River37 miMissouri River (Craig)40 miHolter Lake41 miEnnis Lake70 miYellowstone River71 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 46.4346, -111.5430 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 6, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 6, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.