Montana Fish Report

The water temperature is 51-53 degrees and crystal clear. shing was a little slower than it has been this last week, due to the full moon. Trout are right up in the shallows, spawning. If it rains, the creeks and drainage ditches will wash nutrients, crawlers, and other terrestrial insects into the water. These are great places to target fish.  Bank anglers have been using Power Bait (the garlic scent is working great), Gulp Eggs, marshmallows, and nightcrawlers to catch them. It is very important that your bait floats. Use small hooks, plenty of Power Bait, and a worm blower to float a crawler. Most of the fish that are being caught are full of small shad. Try using shad-patterned lures. Anything with a little silver on it will resemble fleeing shad. Kastmasters, Krocodiles and casting spinners (Roostertails and Panther Martins) are all great baits to fish from the shore and cover lots of water. Be sure to add scent to your baits. Pro Cure threadfin shad, bloody tuna, and garlic night crawler have been working the best. Trolling anglers have been catching nice fish upriver beyond Parrotts Ferry as well as the south side of the lake. Try fishing closer to shore and follow the contour of the bank. A lot of fish are up shallow. Long-lining a floating or jointed Rapala has been producing a lot of fish and some pretty nice ones too. Another good technique is a tandem spoon rig. Try using a Speedy Shiner with a Sockeye Slammer trailed behind. Bass are in their winter haunts. Most fish are being caught on main lake structure from 25-65 feet deep. The fish are very fat and full of shad. The average size spotted bass is 2-pounds. Most anglers are catching fish using shad-patterned worms on a dropshot rig. Another great way to catch some nice fish is to use a smaller size swimbait on a Carolina rig and drag it around main lake structure. We have also had reports of a pretty decent jig bite.  (209) 736-4333, (209) 586-2383