Montana Fish Report

The bite slowed down a bit for the bank anglers, and continues to get better for the trolling anglers. The best bite time has been in the early morning and in the late afternoon. Mid-day the fish will be in deeper/cooler water or near shade. Bank anglers should target deeper water near the main lake. Try using lures first thing in the morning and switching to bait as the water warms up. Try using chrome, chrome/blue, and gold colored Kastmasters. Also, try using nightcrawlers fished with a Berkley Power Egg. This is a great way to float you bait off of the bottom. Trolling anglers have been doing better since the trout have moved off of the bank. Trolling spoons and spinners seem to be producing quality fish. Try using a Needlefish, or a Rocky Mountain Serpent Spoon, trolled behind flashers. Or a Macks Wedding Ring tipped with a crawler. Night Fishing has been picking up. Drop Power Bait or minnows under a submersible light near the spillway/dam, or under the Highway 49 Bridge. Kokanee fishing is good. We have had many good reports of anglers catching quick limits. Most anglers are picking up 11-14" kokanee. The fish are growing and fattening up daily. Kokanee that are being caught are 5-45 feet deep in the main lake. A few places where anglers have been catching their limits includes: the spillway/dam area and the 49 bridge. Most anglers are catching them on Hoochies, Apex, and spinners. Pink is always a good color on this lake, but green and chartreuse are also working. Be sure to add scent to your bait. Garlic, kokanee special, and anise have been good choices. Don't forget your corn soaked in the same scents. Bass anglers are reporting catching fish all day long. Most fish are 12-15 inches with a few 3-pound plus fish caught. The bass have been in shallow water for the last few weeks, and are starting to move back out to deeper water. It is toward the end of the spawning season and more of a post-spawn bite. They are fattening up and starting to recuperate from the spawn. Try using top water (poppers, spooks, and buzz baits) in the mornings and switching to soft plastics (Stick-baits, creatures, and hand pours) as the sun comes up. Also, bass will feed heavily on blue gill and other sunfish at this time of the year. Keep this in mind when choosing colors and lure presentations. Remember to practice catch and release! If you do keep a bass, please keep the spotted bass and release the big female (largemouth) black bass. Glory Hole Sports can teach you the difference, so you can practice good conservation of the species.

Glory Hole Sports  (209) 736-4333, (209) 586-2383