Montana Fish Report

Water is stained a brownish green and is starting to clear, with visibility now only at about two feet. Releases are 600 to the low flow at Oroville, 1,100 cfs from the Thermalito Afterbay Outlet for a total of 1700 cfs to the river below in the Oroville Wildlife Area and about 1,640 cfs at the Gridley gauge. Water temps at 47 to 50 degrees in the Low flow and near 51 degrees below the Thermalito Afterbay Outlet. On the low flow, the stretch from State Highway 70 upstream to the table Mountain Bicycle Bridge has been fair to good. Most anglers are reporting catching a fish or two. There’s some unusually large adult steelhead present in this stretch, but most of them are very dark and should be left alone to spawn unmolested. There are a few late run bright fish to six-pounds starting to show in anglers catches last week and more fresh fish should be coming. The steelies have been keying in on salmon fry that are about 1-1/2 inches long and the eggs of other steelhead and aquatic insects. Fry and minnow patterns like Milts Smelt and other baitfish patterns were hot last week, Flesh flies, Egg and mayfly nymphs and streamers are working for the fly casters, while globugs and egg colored beads, night crawlers, single eggs, roe, spinners and spoons are all working for the spin casters. Remember the stretch above Highway 70 is Barbless hooks only, with a limit of one hatchery steelhead per day and in possession. Look for them in the riffles, runs and pools in that section. Downriver below the Thermalito Afterbay Outlet the reduction of flows has opened access to prime runs and riffles for wading anglers now. Steelhead fishing had also been pretty good from Palermo beach to below Gridley last week however few reports have come in from below Highway 162. Nightcrawlers and Globugs had been taking two to four pound fish there now that the island riffles are wadeable. Huntington’s Sportsmen’s Store (530) 534-8000