Bighorn Lake
The 525-foot-high Yellowtail Dam impounds the Bighorn River at Fort Smith, Montana. Yellowtail Dam was completed in 1965 and changed a good warmwater fishery into a high quality tailwater trout fishery below the dam. Its construction created and made accessible Bighorn Lake which lies in a sand- and limestone-walled defile cut between the Bighorn and Pryor Mountains by the Bighorn River. Hundreds of feet down, within the Bighorn Canyon, water is backed up some 41 miles in Montana and 30 miles into Wyoming. In Montana, Bighorn Lake has a surface area of 5574 acres. Yellowtail Dam is used for peaking power with the Yellowtail Afterbay Dam 2 miles downstream functioning as a re-regulating facility. Because of the dam, streamflow in the river is relatively stable with little daily fluctuation. Bighorn Lake, like the river reach it inundated, supports a warmwater fishery.
Size: 5574 acres
Elevation: 3303 ft
Mtn Range: Not in a Mtn Range
Wilderness Area: Not in Wilderness Area
Township: 06S
Range: 31E
Section: 19
FWP Region: Region 5
Fishing District: Central Fishing District
Species Present
- Game Fish Opportunities:
-
Black Crappie, Brown Trout, Burbot, Channel Catfish, Sauger, Shovelnose Sturgeon, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Yellow Perch
- All Species Present:
-
Arctic Grayling, Black Bullhead, Black Crappie, Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Bullhead, Burbot, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Emerald Shiner, Fathead Minnow, Flathead Chub, Green Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Longnose Dace, Longnose Sucker, Mountain Whitefish, Plains Minnow, Rainbow Trout, River Carpsucker, Sauger, Shorthead Redhorse, Shovelnose Sturgeon, Smallmouth Bass, Spottail Shiner, Stonecat, Walleye, Western Silvery Minnow, White Crappie, White Sucker, Whitefish, Yellow Perch
NOTE: There may be game fish present (including
Species of Concern) that are not listed in the game fish category due
to low numbers for that fish. Until you identify your catch, please handle all fish carefully. Thank you.
Fishing Regulations
Fish Consumption Advisory in effect.
View the latest Montana Fishing Regulations.
Boating Regulations
Standard Boating Regulations for the State of Montana
Fishing Pressure
| Year |
Days Fished¹ |
Trips² |
State Rank³ |
Regional Rank³ |
| 2007 |
8,475 |
154 |
61 |
10 |
| 2005 |
5,984 |
115 |
102 |
15 |
| 2003 |
12,793 |
269 |
48 |
8 |
| 2001 |
32,719 |
697 |
18 |
2 |
| 1999 |
21,797 |
475 |
34 |
4 |
| ¹ Estimated yearly fishing use in angler days (one angler fishing one body of water in one day for any amount of time). |
| ² The number of times that a section of water was reported as having been fished (used to estimate the number of "Days Fished"). |
| ³ How this section of water ranked among all surveyed sections in the state or region, based on "Days Fished" in a survey year. |
| |
Stocking Info
| Stocking |
|
Avg |
Number |
| Date |
Species |
Length (in) |
Stocked |
| Jun, 2008 |
Walleye |
1.2 |
465,672 |
| Jun, 2007 |
Walleye |
1.5 |
509,793 |
| May, 2007 |
Shovelnose Sturgeon |
10.1 |
976 |
| May, 2007 |
Walleye |
.2 |
4,000,000 |
| Jun, 2006 |
Walleye |
1.3 |
499,913 |
| May, 2006 |
Rainbow Trout |
5.5 |
2,150 |
| May, 2006 |
Walleye |
.2 |
4,000,000 |
| Jun, 2005 |
Walleye |
1.3 |
204,350 |
| May, 2005 |
Walleye |
.2 |
4,000,000 |
| Jun, 2004 |
Walleye |
1 |
201,674 |
| May, 2004 |
Walleye |
.2 |
4,000,000 |
| Jun, 2003 |
Walleye |
1.1 |
199,388 |
| May, 2003 |
Walleye |
.2 |
4,000,000 |
| Jun, 2002 |
Walleye |
1.4 |
200,080 |
| May, 2002 |
Walleye |
.2 |
4,000,000 |
| Jun, 2001 |
Walleye |
1.3 |
200,000 |
| May, 2001 |
Walleye |
.2 |
4,000,000 |
| Jun, 2000 |
Walleye |
1.3 |
208,437 |
| May, 2000 |
Walleye |
.2 |
4,000,000 |
| Jun, 1999 |
Walleye |
1.5 |
194,895 |
| Apr, 1999 |
Walleye |
.2 |
4,000,000 |
