Montana Fish Report

The trolling bite has spiked upward. Salmon are running in schools up and down the east shore. Most of the action comes on downriggers set between 30 to 42 feet  running half crawlers behind a Sep's chartreuse or silver prism “Strike Master Dodger”. Kings, 2 year olds, are looking good, battling hard, and been running in the 18 to 19 inch range. The best bite has been beginning at 8:00 am and builds thru the morning. As that moon darkens expect that bite to start earlier. Browns have been biting later in the morning. There is excellent shoreline fishing: You don’t always need a boat to get quality action, rocky drop offs along the east shore are holding smelt that are in the spawn mode, the big browns are close by.
Hamilton Branch, Geritol Cove, Bailey Springs are all accessible, as all the snow is gone, except a few shaded areas. Float tubers are encouraged to get in on the action. Bailey Springs is a good spot right now. seasonal creeks have started flowing, along with Bailey Creek. Work the mouth of these creeks, where they enter the lake. Good bite from the bank near North Shore Campgrounds on the Causeway, both sides. Rainbows to 3.5 pounds are being caught floating Power Bait, or suspending crawlers or salmon eggs. Doug Neal: (530) 258-6732 http://www.almanorfishingadventures.com