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Fresno Reservoir Fishing Report

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

Fresno Reservoir: a 1939 Reclamation lake on the Milk River west of Havre that FWP manages as a walleye fishery, stocked every year.

2/5
Slow. The wind owns today.31 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.
Water temp
~55 F est.
Air / High
43 / 57 F
Wind
NW 28 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.31 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.

Fresno Reservoir is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. Today brings cloud cover, wind NW around 28 mph, steady pressure near 1005 hPa and a high of 57. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:57 AM-11:57 AM and 10:28 PM-12:28 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

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

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.

CrappieFair

Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 41 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

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 β†’

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 temp43 F
High / Low57 / 34 F
WindNW 28-44 mph
Pressure1005.2 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 80%
Sunrise / Sunset07:52 / 18:14
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 Fresno Reservoir this week

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

Best day this week: Saturday, Oct 24 β€” fair at 3/5, steady pressure, neither help nor hindrance.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Tough

31 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.

Solunar majors
9:57 AM-11:57 AM and 10:28 PM-12:28 AM
Minor period
4:22 AM-5:22 AM
Sun
07:52 to 18:14
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Rain, 31 mph
Rain chance
80%

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

Species guide

The species that matter on Fresno Reservoir: 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.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

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

When to come: the Fresno Reservoir 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
Crappie
Yellow perch
Rainbow 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 Fresno Reservoir today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 73 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 68 F, wind to 7 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 60 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

Montana fishing license; see FWP's current Montana Fishing Regulations for Fresno Reservoir limits. FWP lists a fish consumption advisory for the reservoir.

Access

Reclamation recreation areas: Overlook and Boat Ramp (south of the dam), Jaycees Beach and Kremlin Bay (boat ramps), Kiehn's Bay, Fresno Beach. FWP's Fresno Tailwater FAS below the dam. Limited cell service. Check Reclamation's safe launching elevations before towing.

About this water

A Bureau of Reclamation reservoir (1939) on the Milk River 14 miles west of Havre, Hill County, Montana. Area figures differ by source (FishMT lists 3,185 acres).

Fishing Fresno Reservoir: the full guide

A Milk River Project reservoir

Reclamation completed Fresno Dam in 1939 on the Milk River 14 miles west of Havre, mainly to store irrigation water for the Milk River Project, with flood control and recreation as incidental benefits. The earthfill dam is 110 feet high and 2,070 feet long. Reclamation's brochure describes a reservoir with 65 miles of shoreline that reaches about 25 miles upstream of the dam.

Managed for walleye

Walleye were introduced in 1957 and have been FWP's main focus since; FWP says that in most years Fresno supports the highest relative abundance of walleye of any fishery in Montana. Yellow perch, black crappie, northern pike and lake whitefish round out the fishery. FWP's management plan for 2022–2026 aims for high catch rates of 10- to 20-inch walleye by stocking hatchery fish to supplement the wild population, and says angler harvest is essential to keep the population healthy. FishMT lists annual walleye stockings of 25,000 to 75,000, plus rainbow trout in 2020 and 2021.

Who fishes it

FWP counts about 12,350 angler days a year, ranking Fresno fifth in its region and 63rd in Montana for angling pressure. Most anglers are local, 73 percent from Hill County, and about three-quarters of the pressure comes in summer, with limited ice fishing. FWP notes a fish consumption advisory for the reservoir.

Recreation areas and dam work

Reclamation runs six recreation areas around the lake, including the Overlook and Boat Ramp day-use area just south of the dam, Jaycees Beach and Kremlin Bay Campground, all with boat ramps, and Kiehn's Bay and Fresno Beach. FWP manages the Fresno Tailwater fishing access site below the dam and the roughly 2,700-acre Fresno Wildlife Management Area at the upper end. Reclamation finished the embankment work of its dam safety project in March 2026; spillway repairs are still in design, and there are no operational restrictions at the dam.

Common questions

Is Fresno stocked with walleye?

Yes. FishMT lists annual walleye stockings of 25,000 to 75,000, and FWP's management plan uses hatchery walleye to supplement the wild population.

What else can I catch besides walleye?

FWP lists yellow perch, black crappie, northern pike and lake whitefish; rainbow trout were stocked as catchables in 2020 and 2021.

Where can I launch a boat?

Reclamation lists concrete or dirt boat ramps at the Overlook area south of the dam, Jaycees Beach and Kremlin Bay Campground (3.5 miles east and 4 miles north of Kremlin).

Is fishing good at Fresno Reservoir 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. 31 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.

Nearby waters

Holter Lake149 miMissouri River (Craig)150 miFort Peck Lake155 miCanyon Ferry Lake169 miFlathead River194 miFlathead Lake198 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 48.6287, -109.9656 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 7, 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 7, 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.