Montana Fish Report

According the site, EagleLakeFishing.net, trout have been foraging the shoreline in small pods of 20 to 40 individuals. They have been rolling on the surface during the hatch which starting to get earlier as overnight temps have been holding above freezing. When the wind is blowing and the shoreline water is muddy 50 feet from shore, the trout have been holding tight to the line between the murky water and the cleaner water (which is generally deeper as well). For weeks, the trout have had the same routine from the Circus Grounds south shore all the way up the west side to Shrimp Island. The south basin will be slow to warm up so expect to find fish close to shore as well as those who duck out of the bright sunlight on a calm day. Expect to find fish anywhere from 2 to 6 feet deep in 4 to 8 feet of water early but that would be working the humps and bumps. Then they will generally move out to 10 to 20 feet of water to rest. The east side also has fish. From Camp Ronald McDonald to Eagles Nest, small scattered pods of trout generally hold in the depths and scattered but often rogue trout forage closer to the shoreline. It is not unusual to hear from folks who dropped in a night crawler at 30 feet deep off Eagles Nest and came home with nice limits.  Pelican Point has also always provided good fishing. The north side has some good water near the tip, but as you get closer to the tules on the west side, it shallows up a little too much. The south side is rocky but always holds fish. If you are not familiar, don’t try to dance with the rock piles, there should be plenty of fish in 10 to 15 feet of water. Set your depth for ½ of the depth of the water you are fishing and you should do just fine. Opener’s have always provided pretty good fishing for most folks. If anything, the weather is more unpredictable than the fishing. http://eaglelakefishing.net/ tnoxon@gmail.com www.fishtraveler.com  (530) 825-3454