Montana Fish Report

If there is a flash freeze of the surface during sunrise, chances are it will melt out in 20 to 60 minutes and it doesn't take much wind to push any ice to shore. However, if there is a low ambient temp close to -10F, the ice sheet will be thicker than skim ice and take longer to melt out. We can deal with ice out from shore to some degree before it becomes unfishable.  Otherwise, fishing is as good as it gets from shore or boat. Best bet is trolling at 18 to 21 feet deep with Sure Catch large double jointed Red-Dog lures south of Miners Point as well as fly fishing the shallow rock piles and shoreline on the west side of the lake.  The trout are now also closer to the surface for trolling top liners Berkley's Atomic Teasers (brown/white) account for double digit catches.  Toplining mini crawlers is also doing the job, naked working better than dodgers/flashers. Brown & olive leech patterns work for fly fishers. www.eaglelakefishing.net, Tim Noxon, Fish Traveler Guide Service, 530-825-3524, tnoxon@gmail.com, www.fishtraveler.com; www.eaglelakefishing.net