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Water cooling with season
By Mark Henckel - 09/17/2008
The colors in the high country are starting to show some changes. Aspens are starting to go gold. If you're lucky, you'll hear elk bugling. And if you're a fisherman, you can't help but notice the bite in the morning air and the fact that river flows are cooling.
Hopper time is winding down for fly fishermen both in the high country and in the rivers fed by chillier flows. You can read it in the fishing reports. Topwater fly action is turning more to mayflies. Streamers are coming into play. And fall spawners — brown trout, whitefish and brook trout — are starting to bunch up and move toward spawning areas.
It has been a good late summer and early fall this year on the rivers and streams.
Some reservoir fishing has begun to turn on as well with walleyes and rainbow trout beginning to come up shallower with the cooler water temps.
There are still some great days to be had on the water, if only you pick the right spot to go. Here are some choices in this week's fishing report.
Montana
Beaverhead River — Fishing remains good, especially in the early morning. Crane flies and hoppers are working well. Small flies (16 and smaller) continue to catch big fish. Small and green seems to be the trick! With the cooler weather, Trico hatches are occurring from noon to mid afternoon.
— Johanna McLaughlin, Uncle Bob's Outdoors, Dillon
Big Hole River: Rafts make floating easier, but hard boats are still coming down n just make sure you know the river. Look for Trico hatches in the morning. If you are looking to dry fly, Wulffs, Trudes, Madam Xs, and Purple Hazes will work well.
— Johanna McLaughlin, Uncle Bob's Outdoors, Dillon
Bighorn Lake: Walleyes and sauger are starting to hit and the bass never quit. Walleyes are hitting on leeches and nightcrawlers on worm harnesses in 20 to 35 feet of water. Vertical jigging next to the canyon walls is also working.
— Ron Herman, Pryor Creek Bait Company, Laurel
Bighorn River: Worms, sowbugs, tan and gray Ray Charles and scuds are working for trout but algae is making it tough to get a good drift. With all the algae, work the clear areas near the bank. Black caddis are out some days, but not others. Rainy days seems to be producing more bugs.
— Tom Osen, Bighorn Fly and Tackle Shop
Boulder River: Some baetis are out, but don't give up on hoppers. Hopper and dropper combinations are working well. Small baetis nymphs are working for the droppers. Still some caddis around late in the day. n John Bates, Rainbow Run Fly Shop.
Canyon Ferry Reservoir: Rainbow fishing has been picking up throughout the reservoir. People seem to be doing best trolling Rapalas 10-15 feet deep around Hole in the Wall, Confederate, and White Earth. Shore anglers are picking up a few rainbows on worms and marshmallows in the morning at Magpie. Walleye fishing has been slow. n Eric Roberts, FWP, Helena.
Clark Canyon Reservoir: Deep Channel fishing remains best. Chironomids continue to work well, some of the better patterns would be the Chromies, Morrison Tartans, and Criss-X. Beadhead Princes, Purple Princes, and several of the Denny Rickards fly patterns, and Sheep Creeks are working well. n Johanna McLaughlin, Uncle Bob's Outdoors, Dillon.
Cooney Reservoir: Fair action early in the morning and evening on walleyes and rainbow trout. Trout are nice sized. Both nightcrawlers and leeches are working with floating jig heads. n Ron Herman, Pryor Creek Bait Company, Laurel.
Deadman's Basin: Trout and salmon are biting, especially for the bank fishermen. Worms and marshmallows is the best combination. No reports on tiger muskies. n Garlynn Buffington, Super D, Ryegate.
Fort Peck Reservoir, Big Dry Arm: Walleye and northern pike fishing is very slow. There have been a couple of small salmon caught in 20-30 ft of water, using a floater with a worm. A few bass, a catfish and perch were caught, also using floaters and fishing next to the bank. n Jane Bowles, Rock Creek Marina.
Fort Peck Reservoir, Dam area: Some nice walleyes are coming in. Walleyes are down 17 to 25 feet. Minnows and crawlers with Lindy rigs, spin-n-glos and smile blades are a good tactic. Lake trout are hitting well with fish down about 100 feet. A few salmon still being caught down 75 to 85 feet. n Gene Moore, Lakeridge, Fort Peck.
Fort Peck Reservoir, Hell Creek: Some nice northern northern pike are coming in. Walleyes are a bit more hit and miss n some anglers are doing well and others not. Walleyes have started to come back shallower. Northern pike are hanging in the weeds. A good fall bite seems to be starting for smallmouth bass. n Deb Thomas, Hell Creek Marina.
Gallatin River: Action has slowed a bit with the cooler weather. Fish some buggers, sculpins and zonkers with a baetis nymph off the back. More mayfly nymphs are active in the water. Hoppers are still working down low on the river. n Kris Kumlien, Montana Troutfitters, Bozeman.
Hauser Reservoir: Rainbow fishing is improving with cooler water temperatures. Trolling orange or perch colored Rapalas around White Sandy has been working best. Walleye fishing has slowed down with some small fish caught on jigs and leeches in the Causeway. n Troy Humphrey, FWP, Helena.
Helena Valley Regulating Reservoir: Anglers are snagging kokanee, however, action is still a bit slow. The snagging season for Kokanee Salmon will run through October 31st. Limits are 35 salmon daily with 70 in possession. n Troy Humphrey, FWP, Helena.
Holter Reservoir: Rainbow fishing has been good trolling cowbells tipped with a crawler early in the morning. Most rainbow action has been from Split Rock to the Dam in 20 to 30 feet of water. Walleye fishing has been slow with a few caught on jigs throughout the reservoir. n Troy Humphrey, FWP, Helena.
Madison River: Watch the flow charts for dropping water levels on the upper river, which will improve the fishing. Below Beartrap Canyon, this river in the fall is a tale of two fisheries, offering poor fishing on bright, sunny days and great fishing on cloudy, rainy days. n Kris Kumlien, Montana Troutfitters, Bozeman.
Missouri River, Below Holter: Small nymphs in size 18 and 20 appear to be your best bet. At times, you get topwater action on caddis or baetis and hoppers and ants may provide some trout. Streamer patterns are starting to attract more attention from the fish. n Kris Kumlien, Montana Troutfitters, Bozeman.
Nelson Reservoir: Fishing is good. Many of the walleyes are 14 to 16 inches. Jigs and bottom bouncers with nightcrawlers are working. Guys running crankbaits are catching northern pike. n Dan Lowney, Westside Sports, Malta.
Stillwater River, Lower: Fishing is good. Jack Cabes, orange stimulators and hoppers in lime and tan are working well. Still some nymphing. Use anything with a little red on it. n Mike Segota, Suds n' Bugs Fly and Tackle, Columbus.
Stillwater River, Upper: Water levels have come up a bit, but hoppers are still working in the middle of the day. Droppers are working well off the hoppers. A parachute adams with a little beadhead is also working to imitate baetis. n John Bates, Rainbow Run Fly Shop.
Yellowstone River, Columbus: It's fishing well above Bratten and Greycliff accesses with hoppers and muddler minnows. Streamers are starting to work with the cooler temperatures. Brown trout are starting to stack up. n Mike Segota, Suds n' Bugs Fly and Tackle, Columbus.
Yellowstone River, Huntley: Smallmouth bass are biting on medium and small minnows with fish running up to two-pounds-plus. Sauger are being caught on minnows, as well. Smaller catfish are still biting on larger minnows and shrimp. n Will Suralski, Minnow Bucket, Huntley.
Yellowstone River, Livingston: Still some action on hoppers and ants, but give them a little action. A lot of whitefish are biting and baetis action can be very good on cloudy days. Another good technique is to dredge the deep pools and bends with heavy sinking tips and throw big meaty flies looking for hungry aggressive browns. n Kris Kumlien, Montana Troutfitters, Bozeman.
Wyoming Boysen Reservoir: Walleye action has slowed. Trout are still biting well. Baitfish are starting to come in shallow. Perch fishing is decent in the bays. n Sam Hackett, Boysen Lake Marina.
Buffalo Bill: Fishing is pretty good. Cooling water temps have things picking up. Anglers report success trolling hardware in the top 10 feet of the water column. Bank anglers should be aware of rattlesnakes out and about prior to denning up. n Robert Crooks, Cody, Wyo.
Cody area rivers: With the exception of the Shoshone, area rivers are clear and fishing well. n Robert Crooks, Cody, Wyo.
Gazette outdoor editor Mark Henckel can be contacted at henckel@billingsgazette.com or at 657-1395. The weekly Gazette Fishing Report runs each Thursday from April through September.
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