Montana Fish Report

The cold surface temperature will move more fish to the surface making them easier to catch for both trolling anglers and bank anglers.  Trolling anglers should try fishing from 30 feet down to the surface. With a large majority of fish moving to shallow water, it's a good idea to troll near the shoreline or use a side planner.  Try using a nightcrawler threaded onto a straight shank hook or a trolling fly tipped with a chunk of crawler.  Be sure to let out plenty of line. This is a great time of year to catch some large brown trout.  When trolling with multiple rods it's a good idea to have one setup for browns.  Try using large jointed plugs or rolling shad.  When that rod hits it could be a fish of a lifetime. Bank anglers have been catching more and more fish each week.  Most anglers are targeting fish feeding near the bottom.  Try using a double up bait rig.  With this set up you will be able to use Power Bait Dough, Power Eggs, marshmallows, crawlers, or a combination.  Using multiple presentations is a great way to find out what the fish are feeding on.  There are also quite a few fish feeding and cruising near the surface.  The best way to target these fish is with a bubble/crawler, or a bubble/fly rig.  Also, casting and retrieving a Kastmaster is a great way to cover water and find feeding fish.  Bass bite is slow. The lake is starting to turn and the fish are on a late fall/early winter pattern.  The fish seem to be spread out from deep to shallow water anywhere from 5 to 70 feet of water.  Once the lake turns and stabilizes the fishing should get better and the fish will be at a more consistent depth.  It is very important to use your electronics to locate fish and bait.  Try using vertical jigging spoons near the balls of bait.  Another good thing to keep in mind is with cooling water their metabolism will slow also.  Try slowing down a bit and using baits that crawl across the bottom.  A ¾-ounce football jig is hard to beat for this style of fishing.  Also, use plenty of scent to help the fish locate your bait. Glory Hole Sports  (209) 736-4333, (209) 586-2383