Canyon Ferry Lake

Canyon Ferry Lake
Canyon Ferry Lake
Canyon Ferry Lake Show map of Montana Canyon Ferry Lake Show map of the United States
Location	Lewis and Clark and Broadwater Counties in  Montana,  United States. Located near Helena, Montana.
Coordinates	46°28′53″N 111°32′47″W
Type	reservoir
Primary inflows	Missouri River
Primary outflows	Missouri River
Catchment area	15,904 sq mi (41,190 km^2)
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	30 mi (48 km)
Max. width	5 mi (8.0 km)
Surface area	33,500 acres (13,600 ha)
Water volume	2,051,000 acre⋅ft (2.530 km^3)
Shore length^1	76 mi (122 km)
Surface elevation	3,797 ft (1,157 m) msl
Islands	Cemetery Island
Settlements	Canton and Townsend
^1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Canyon Ferry Lake is a reservoir on the Missouri River near Helena, Montana and Townsend, Montana. It is Montana's third largest body of water, covering 35,181 acres (142 km²) and 76 miles (122 km) of shore (1). It was formed by the building of Canyon Ferry Dam, which was completed in 1954 and has been used for electricity, irrigation, and flood controls since.

Recreation

The lake is a popular outdoor destination providing boating, fishing, wildlife habitat, and is nestled against the Big Belt Mountains of the Rocky Mountains. Canyon Ferry Lake has also become a leading ice boat venue for iceboat racing and iceboat world speed record attempts.^[1][2] The former town of Canton lies beneath the lake, having been submerged following construction of the dam.

• 
  Canyon Ferry Lake, north end, viewed from Yacht Basin Marina.
• 
  Aerial View of Canyon Ferry Lake and Canyon Ferry Dam.
• 
  Canyon Ferry Lake in foreground as seen from U.S. Highway 12 near Townsend, Montana. Big Belt Mountains in background.
• 
  Location of Canyon Ferry Lake and other reservoirs and dams built in the Pick–Sloan Program since the 1940s.

Fishing

The lake is regularly stocked with fish. Canyon Ferry Reservoir continues to be one of the most popular angling destinations in the state of Montana.^[3]

Fish species within the lake

Species	Family	Class	Native to MT
Bluegill	Sunfish	Warmwater	Introduced
Brook Trout	Trout	Coldwater	Introduced
Brown Trout	Trout	Coldwater	Introduced
Burbot	Codfish	Coldwater	Native
Common Carp	Minnow	Warmwater	Introduced
Fathead Minnow	Minnow	Warmwater	Native
Flathead Chub	Minnow	Warmwater	Native
Largemouth Bass	Sunfish	Warmwater	Introduced
Longnose Dace	Minnow	Warmwater	Native
Longnose Sucker	Sucker	Warmwater	Native
Mottled Sculpin	Sculpin		Native
Mountain Whitefish	Trout	Coldwater	Native
Northern Pike	Pike	Warmwater	Introduced
Pumpkinseed	Sunfish	Warmwater	Introduced
Rainbow Trout	Trout	Coldwater	Introduced
Smallmouth Bass	Sunfish	Warmwater	Introduced
Stonecat	Catfish		Native
Utah Chub	Minnow		Introduced
Walleye	Perch	Warmwater	Introduced
White Sucker	Sucker	Warmwater	Native
Yellow Perch	Perch	Warmwater	Introduced
Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout	Trout	Coldwater	Native

See also

• List of lakes in Montana
• List of dams in the Missouri River watershed

References

1. "Windjet Project - Ice record Location". Archived from the original on 2007-06-28. Retrieved 2009-04-12.
2. "Location for ice record challenge".
3. "FISHMT :: Waterbody Details". myfwp.mt.gov. Retrieved 2022-06-13.

External links

• Canyon Ferry Lake (Official website), U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), Department of the Interior
• Current Reservoir Data, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
• Canyon Ferry Lake Information, Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks
• Canyon Ferry Recreation Map, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation