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Canyon Ferry Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Missouri's big reservoir: walleye waves, rainbow trolling and Helena's home water.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
75 / 78 F
Wind
NNW 1 mph

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

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 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.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Canyon Ferry Lake lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. Today brings cloud cover, wind NNW around 1 mph, rising pressure near 1006 hPa and a high of 78. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeGood

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Northern pikeGood

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

White bassFair

The spring river run: small crankbaits and roadrunners up the tributaries.

CrappieSlow

Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

Tomorrow: Similar at 77 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

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.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp75 F
High / Low78 / 55 F
WindNNW 1-8 mph
Pressure1006.1 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 5%
Sunrise / Sunset06:50 / 19:58
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 78/55 F, wind 19 mph, rain 5%

Fair or better. A 19 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

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: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. The spring river run: small crankbaits and roadrunners up the tributaries.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

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
White bass
Northern pike
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 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, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 77 F, wind to 18 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

2/5 Slow. The wind owns today. 39 mph gusts make boat control the real battle. Walleye led the card at good. High of 83 F, wind to 39 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 83 F, wind to 17 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

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

Walleye limits liberal (review current); standard trout rules. Confirm with FWP.

Access

State park ramps: Silos, Hellgate, Court Sheriff, White Earth; campgrounds at most.

About this water

35,000 acres on the Missouri near Helena, MT. The state's premier walleye water and a busy trout troll.

Fishing Canyon Ferry Lake: the full guide

Broadwater's sea

Canyon Ferry spreads the Missouri into 33,500 wind-swept acres: a walleye fishery that boomed into Montana's best, rainbows for the trolling fleet, and carp flats that quietly host fly-rod stalking. Below the dam, the Missouri's blue-ribbon tailwater begins: two worlds, one drive.

Walleye, the Montana argument

Canyon Ferry's walleye boom reshaped regional fishing: jig spring points at Silos, pull crawler harnesses over summer flats, and chase fall fish pushing bait into the Missouri inflow. Debate about trout-vs-walleye politics aside, the fishery is now the state's most productive.

Two-species mornings

Rainbows still troll well along the west shore and dam basin: cowbells and leeches early, deeper lines by July. The carp flats near the silos offer sight-casting sport nobody advertises: 8-weight practice with 10-pound targets.

Missouri headwaters gold

Canyon Ferry opens the Missouri's famous trout factory chain: rainbows cruise its riprap and gravel in spring (bank anglers do damage with spinners and crawlers), walleye stack the Silos-area flats in June, and the perch schools that winter under the ice at Confederate Bay feed both fisheries. Wind rules the big open water: the sheltered south end saves more trips than any lure choice.

Common questions

Where do Canyon Ferry walleye go in summer?

Off the spring points to 15-30 ft flats and humps mid-lake: bottom bouncers at walking speed find the scattered schools our reports track by season.

Walleye or trout at Canyon Ferry?

Both, by season: trout shallow in spring and fall, walleye on the flats and points May-September. The lake manages a two-fishery balance the whole upper Missouri chain shares.

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: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

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