Montana Fish Report

Slow for bank anglers, but good for 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 and throw shad or rainbow trout patterned Rapala Countdowns, or chrome, chrome/blue, and gold colored Kastmasters in the morning, and nightcrawlers fished with a Berkley Power Egg in the heat of the day.  Trolling anglers have been doing better since the trout have moved off of the bank. Most trollers are picking up mixed limits of trout/kokanee.  Trolling spoons and spinners seem to be producing quality fish. Try using a Needlefish, or a Rocky Mountain Serpent Spoon, trolled behind flashers. A Mack's Wedding Ring tipped with a crawler is another good choice.  Night Fishing has been good.  Drop Power Bait or minnows under a submersible light near the spillway/dam, or under the Highway 49 Stevenot Bridge.  Kokanee bite is coming on strong, with fish finally schooling up.  Fish are still small, but getting bigger- we have seen a few 16" fish, but 12-14" is common.  Kokanee are moving deeper- target 45-80 feet deep in the main lake. With kokanee getting bigger and schooling up, it is time to switch to a bigger lure.  Rocky Mountain Hootchies and Apex have been the top producers this week, as well as WeeTads.   Pink or UV pink is always a good color on this lake, but green and chartreuse are also working.  Troll all baits behind a dodger or Slingblade, or the new Fatal Attraction dodgers- they really create an erratic action that kokanee can't seem to resist, and you can bend one edge to pull your rig to the right or left side of your  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.

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