Montana Fish Report

Kokanee are congregating in the main lake 70-1000 feet deep near the bottom. Bite seems best if the wind kicks up a bit. Bottom bouncing (dragging your weight along the bottom) is the preferred technique by successful kokanee anglers in the late season. There are narrow downrigger weights made just for this purpose. With the kokanee running deeper and the water so stained, darker colors such as blue and purple and green are working best. R & K Micro Hootchies, Apex, RMT Assassins, Wiggle Hootchies, Wedding Rings and Uncle Larry's Spinners have all been mentioned by successful anglers. Run your lures behind Slingblades or Vance's dodgers in the same color family. Bigger lures will have good action from now till the kokanee are done. Some anglers tie a hootchie behind an Apex (remove the hooks that come with the Apex and thread the hootchie leader in its place) to present a bigger profile to late-season kokanee, or tie two Slingblades or dodgers in tandem. Always tip your hooks with shoepeg corn and apply scent liberally. Vanilla, garlic, anise, and Kokanee Special, are all working. Try spraying a little Bang Crawdad scent onto your lures and corn in addition to the Pro Cure. Crawdads eat kokanee eggs when they are spawning, so the crawdad scent gets the mature kokanee angry and ready to bite. Bass action is fair. Water is very stained, so noisy baits are your best bet, and adding a little chartreuse to your plastics is a good idea, too. Use a chartreuse dye pen to color the tail. Throw top-water lures in the morning and evening hours such as Pop-R's Pencil Poppers, Zara Spooks and buzzbaits. Rattletraps, Spinnerbaits, jigs with rattles and Senkos will work better in the heat of the day. Fish the backs of coves. Most fish are being caught in fairly shallow water. Remember to practice catch and release.

Catfish:  Continues to be a great bite. Catfish are in coves and in shallower water. A sliding sinker rig, and a ball of crawlers or a piece of anchovy or sardine is your best bait. Leave your bail open so the cats can't feel the line if still-fishing. Successful catfish anglers move their bait often, even dragging it along the bottom and bouncing it into rocky nooks and crannies, rather than letting it sit still. Fishing for cats is usually best at night, but plenty of anglers catch them during the day as well. Joseph Hammett of Stockton wins the Glory Hole Sports Big Catfish of the Week Contest with a 13-pound, 5-ounce cat that he caught (along with a 7-pounder) on crawlers while fishing in Coyote Creek.   (209) 736-4333, (209) 586-2383