Montana Fish Report

The perch have moved off of their spawning beds all over the lake. After they finish with their spawn, they start to suspend over deep water. The best way to catch them is to slow troll with 1 to 2 colors of lead core. Go as slow as you can, even less than 1 mile per hour. You don't have to be very deep; the fish are usually only 15 to 20 feet down. Slow troll a small broke back rapalla, or small crank bait.  As the summer progresses, they will continue to move towards the deeper sections. Remember you can’t use any bait, or scented lures, and your hooks must be barbless.                                                       The fly fishing on Crowley continues to be a little on the slow side.  We are still picking up fish, but the number of places to fish has really dwindled. Over in McGee Bay, you can still pick up some fish in close to the mouth of the creek, but the deeper you go, the more algae you will encounter. Start out early in the morning in the channel in no more than 10 to 12 feet of water. When the algae starts to move in on you; just keep moving into shallower and shallower water. I checked the bay yesterday around noon and found algae all the way in shallow. But friends reported some pretty clear water before that. Your other option is the North Arm, there are some fish up in the Owens channels. The fish are all the way from 16 feet, on into about 10 or 11 feet. The best flies up here have been a small Size-12 Birds Nest as our top fly, with a small Shaft Emerger on the bottom. When you are fishing a perch pattern, remember to keep it moving. We have had much better results when you strip in a foot of line every 20 to 30 seconds.   Good Luck, Mickey Baron  (760) 937-3245