GAZETTE FISHING REPORT Summertime fishing has arrived By JOHN LETASKY Of The Gazette Staff It's been getting hot all over the country and Montana is no exception. After a gloomy day on July 4th, temperatures have skyrocketed in the majority of the state. That means that some of us finally have what we've been asking for - blue skies, warm temperatures and short-sleeved shirt weather for fishing. With all the sun, be sure to pack some ice-cold water when venturing out. It also wouldn't be a bad idea to bring along some sunscreen and a shade hat. Also, keep in mind that with the weather getting warmer, reservoir anglers may want to get their lines down a little bit deeper. Where are you going to fish? Here's The Gazette's Fishing Report to help you choose: montana Absaroka-Beartooth Mountain Lakes The snowpack is at the 9,000-plus level and climbing. Fishing has been good on all the open lakes. Most of the lakes on the Hellroaring plateau are open except Sliderock. Island Lake, behind Mystic, is fishing great using soft hackles and stripping nymphs. Good patterns for this time of year are cream-colored shrimp. - Jim Yeager, Old West Anglers & Outfitters, Columbus. Ackley Lake It has been a hit and miss deal, one day it will fish well and the next it will slow down. The fishermen are running crankbaits. Shore fishermen are tossing out nightcrawlers. - Dave Storfa, Don's, Lewistown. Beaverhead River It is fishing really good. Nymph fishing is the key. - Mike Seiler, Frontier Anglers, Dillon. Big Hole River The dry fly fishing is excellent. Stimulators and irresistibles are the hot choices. - Mike Seiler, Frontier Anglers, Dillon. Bighorn Lake The fishing was productive over the weekend. Some anglers were using minnows. Most fishermen used worm harnesses and did pretty good. Try jigging off the rocks with a bright hook tipped with a nightcrawler. Try bright fluorescent colored worm harnesses, like yellow and orange. The water temperature is 69 degrees as of Tuesday. - Josh Anderson, Ok-A-Beh Marina. Bighorn River The fishing is excellent. The flows are at 7100 cfs. The PMD dry fly fishing has started now. Use a size 14-16 extended body comparadun. A Yellow Sally in size 16 is also landing fish. Nymph fishing is good using a size 14 pink soft-hackle sow bug or a size 14 Ray Charles, trailing a size 16 flashback hare's ear, a size 16 PMD nymph or a size 16 flashback pheasant tail. - Todd Stapleton, Bighorn Fly & Tackle, Hardin. Boulder River It is running real high, but clear. It is fishing real well with nymphs. Stone fly nymphs, size 6-8, are best imitated by bitch creeks, Kaufman stones and golden stones. There are some lingering stone fly hatches, but the action is mainly on caddis. Beadhead patterns are also working. - Jim McCall, Rainbow Run Fly Shop, Billings. Canyon Ferry Reservoir Trout fishing slowed somewhat this past weekend as the water temperature is warming and the fish are moving deeper. Those trolling for rainbows are letting about five colors out and using Rapalas, cowbells and Rock-n-Rolls. The most productive areas are near White Earth and Beer Can Bay. The shore fishing has slowed for rainbows, but some are being caught at Confederate Bay and the Silos with nightcrawlers tipped with marshmallows. Walleye fishing is improving. The bays north of White Earth are producing fish. Anglers are using chartreuse jigs and bottom bouncers rigged with crawler harnesses in 10-28 feet of water. Some perch are being caught in the bays. - Helena Area Resource Office. Clark Canyon Reservoir It is pretty slow. It has been windy and not many people have been out. - Mike Seiler, Frontier Anglers, Dillon. Cliff and Wade Lakes It is about the same as last week. Use leech patterns. It is hard to fish from the bank because of the timber along the edges. Get out in a float tube and cast back towards the bank. - Glen Gallentine, The Tackle Shop, Ennis. Cooney Reservoir The fishing is still fair. There is still plenty of action on the smaller trout and walleye. There are some reports of bigger walleye being caught in the evening. Steve McMorris, the state walleye record holder, pulled in a 12-pounder over the weekend. The state record walleye trophy mount is on display here at the store. - Dan Montoya, Cooney Dam Country Store. Deadman's Basin No report. - Tracy Goffena, Enjoy Sports, Roundup. Fort Peck Reservoir: Big Dry Arm A little bit of weird weather occurred over the weekend. The walleyes are still off and on with a lot of little ones being caught. Crawler harnesses are working the best. A 32-incher (13-pounds) was caught by J.R. Doll on Independence Day. The smallmouth bass are coming on more and more. The northerns are doing fair, fishing for them isn't good yet, but it is decent. - Bill Schriver, Rock Creek Marina. Fort Peck Reservoir: Crooked Creek The weather screwed everything up, as it was cold on the Fourth. The guys on the lake didn't get any keepers. A few came back with small bass. One guy told me he had 50 on one day, but they weren't big enough to keep. The fish were running pretty deep. Fred Spencer of Billings limited out on northerns from 14 pounds down to 6, but it took him awhile to do it. - Ron Ronningen, Fort Musselshell Marina. Fort Peck Reservoir: Dam Area They are catching some pretty good walleye in the main lake. By the Big Dry Arm, some little ones are being caught. The dredge cuts are also producing some walleye. On Monday, the biggest fish caught near the dam was a 17-pound salmon, by Jim Schultz of Fort Peck. A few 8-and 3-pound salmon have been landed. A lot of tournament fisherman are up here pre-fishing. It has been really wind. Some lake trout have been landed, with some reaching 18-20 pounds. - Brad Merritt, Lakeridge Motel, Fort Peck. Fort Peck Reservoir: Hell Creek Fishing is spotty. It just seems to be coming and going day to day. Water temperatures are in the low 60s, so maybe the fish are still in transition. There is not a lot of stability. It was stormy all last week. It seems like a little bit of everything will work, if you can find some fish. - Joe Herbold, Hell Creek Bar, Jordan. Fort Peck Reservoir: Fourchette Bay The fishing is getting better and better. A bunch of people have been camping out. However, it was rainy this weekend. Overall, the conditions are pretty much the same as last week. The water is getting clearer. If it gets sunny and warmer, bottom bouncers should work. - Robert Twiford, Malta Marine. Gallatin River It is running a little high, but it is crystal clear. Some salmonflies are coming off around the Big Sky area. Try royal Wulffs and trudes. Nymph fisherman are using bitch creeks. - Josh Stanish, Montana Troutfitters, Bozeman. Hauser Reservoir Kokanee and rainbow fishing has slowed. Some rainbows are being caught trolling between Black Sandy and York bridge. Shore anglers should try the Causeway or Riverside areas for rainbows. Small walleyes and perch are being caught at the Causeway by boat and bank fisherman. - Helena Area Resource Office. Holter Reservoir Rainbow trout fishing is good for fisherman trolling silver and black Rapalas on the lower end of the reservoir. Walleye and perch fishing is excellent with fish being landed near Oxbow Bend and Cottonwood Creek. The successful anglers are using jigs, perch crankbaits and purple Mr. Twister tails. - Helena Area Resource Office. Madison River: Ennis The salmonfly is the top fly. The action is from the Lyons Bridge to the Palisades access. Otherwise, the lower stretch is fishing well with royal trudes and brown elk-hair caddis. The fish are now moving out into the faster water. - Glen Gallentine, The Tackle Shop, Ennis. Madison River: Lower Good fishing early in the morning. The water is getting warm by midday and the fishing trails off. Nymph fisherman are having success with pheasant tails. Also try the Batman and Robin combination. A PMD hatch is coming off, with a lot of little fish rising to them. - Josh Stanish, Montana Troutfitters, Bozeman. Martinsdale Reservoir The fisherman are doing good trolling. It is still slow off the bank. Trout are hitting good on Rapalas, lures and cowbells. The weather is finally getting a little nicer, it was miserable over the weekend, with rain and wind. - Dan McLaughlin, Mint Bar, Martinsdale. Missouri River: Below Holter It is running at 5930 cfs as of Tuesday. It is fishing excellent. There is a caddis and PMD hatch. For dries, try elk hair caddis in 14-16. For PMDs, try transitional and parachutes. For nymphs, we are using lightning bug MFGs. It is fishing real good from top to bottom. The water is clear. - Garry Stocker, Montana Fly Goods, Helena. Missouri River: Fred Robinson Bridge Fishing has been pretty good. Some walleye, sauger and sturgeon are being caught. The catfish are also biting. You'll probably catch a few bug bites. If you can stand the bugs, you'll do all right. - Tammi Combs, Bohemian Corners Cafe. Musselshell River: Lower The river is all muddy. It isn't very productive. They are letting water out of Deadman's, so it shouldn't be too productive until the water goes down and clears. I imagine if one finds the right hole, one could catch some fish. - Tracy Goffena, Enjoy Sports, Roundup. Musselshell River: Upper It is getting pretty clear and is fishable. There isn't any moss, because it hasn't been hot enough. - Dave Sorenson, Fastway Conoco, Harlowton. Nelson Reservoir The fishing was real good in the morning with crawler harnesses tipped with leeches. In the afternoons, it was real slow. It was rainy all weekend. The sizes are still running pretty good, with lots of 18-20 inchers. - Robert Twiford, Malta Marine. Rock Creek The river is high but clear. It is fishable, but not easy fishing. Stimulators, royal Wulffs, humpies, and beadhead droppers are working. In another week or so, it should be in real good shape. - Mike DuFresne, Bighorn Fly & Tackle, Billings. Smith River At 191 cfs as of Tuesday morning. It is fishing well. Golden stones, caddis and brown drakes are working. Beadhead prince nymphs, lightning bugs and MFGs are also taking fish. - Garry Stocker, Montana Fly Goods, Helena. Spring Creek It is running a little off-color, but it is still fishing well. A peacock caddis and parachute Adams are hot flies. - Dave Storfa, Don's, Lewistown. Stillwater River: Lower The river has picked up some color from the thundershowers we've had this past week. It's high, but fishable. By the week's end, the river should be in great shape. Some stoneflies should pop any day now. The nymph fishing is good using a golden stone or gold prince nymph. Action on the surface is slow. - Jim Yeager, Old West Anglers & Outfitters, Columbus. Stillwater River: Upper It's running clear. It is still high and water temperatures are cold. The fishing has been fair to good. Action is mainly on beadhead nymphs, prince nymphs and hare's ears, all sizes 10-14. There have been some little golden stone flies, which are best imitated by a size 14 stimulator and elk hair caddis. There are also some small brown caddis out. - Jim McCall, Rainbow Run Fly Shop, Billings. Tongue River Reservoir A young boy, Tyler Walk of Billings, caught a 43/4-pound walleye using a chartreuse jig. It was slow over the weekend, but on Monday good reports started coming in. Bass were hitting on crankbaits and walleyes were hitting on wedding rings. A lot of anglers were using crawlers. The water level is stable, and debris is no longer a problem. Camper's Point was open for the weekend, but it is closed now. However, spots are still available to camp. - Mary Madrid, Tongue River Marina. West Rosebud River The river is high and cloudy. The dry fly fishing has slowed, but the nymph fishing is pretty good. Try hare's ears and pheasant tails. - Jim Yeager, Old West Anglers & Outfitters, Columbus. Yellowstone National Park The fishing is picking up. The Firehole is fishing well on overcast days, with morning being the best time to fish. The fishing from 6 p.m. until dark is good on the Madison. The small streams are starting to fish well now. They have come down and are low enough to fish. - Bob Jacklin, Jacklin's Fly Shop, West Yellowstone. Yellowstone River: Billings Good catfishing from the Yellowstone down into the Bighorn River. The sizes range from 4-8 pounders. The lower Bighorn is fishing especially good right now for catfish. Try cut bait and shrimp, with shrimp being especially hot. It is picking up and things are starting to look good. - Will Suralski, Minnow Bucket, Huntley. Yellowstone River: Columbus It's high and muddy. I'd say we're 15 to 20 days out. - Jim Yeager, Old West Anglers & Outfitters, Columbus. Yellowstone River: Livingston Were still not fishing it too much. The color has changed from brown to green, but it is still running hard. The spring creeks are fishing well, with good assemblies of dry flies working. - Rick Halloran, Dan Bailey's Fly Shop, Livingston. northern wyoming Bighorn Mountain creeks The creeks are still a little high and discolored. They are going down, but aren't to where they should be. Anglers are using beadhead nymphs and almost anything that is black and small. - Sheri Gould, Just Gone Fishing, Buffalo. Bighorn Mountain lakes Tiehack Reservoir is producing fish on beadhead nymphs and worms on the bottom. Griffin's gnats, black ants, and Adams irresistible are working. Brown Bear Lake and Magdalene Lakes are seeing action on Adams and mountain hoppers. Trigger Lake is now accessible by car up to the wilderness boundary and then you can hike. Try an elk hair caddies. The rainbows are anywhere from 8-13 inches. Try beadhead nymphs and small black flies on Sherd Lake. Cutthroats in the 18-inch range are being landed. Long and Ringbone Lake are producing cutthroats. Try Rio Grande Kings at Romeo Lake. - Sheri Gould, Just Gone Fishing, Buffalo. Bighorn River It is fishing a little better. It is still a little bit high. The anglers are looking for catfish. They are not fishing below the dam as much as they were. - Melanie Stine, The Outdoorsman, Worland. Boysen Reservoir Fishing is pretty good. The water is still somewhat cloudy. Walleyes are hitting in 6-20 feet of water. Jig and crawler rigs are the best bet. Crankbaits have been producing well. - Gary Hackett, Boysen Lake Marina. Buffalo Bill Reservoir It hasn't been fishing bad. It is still dirty. Try trolling around the edges for rainbows and cutthroats. It's a matter of figuring out which lure is working. - Scott Aune, Absaroka Angler, Cody. Clarks Fork It has been variable. In the mornings it is clear, but in the afternoon it is dirty. Golden stones and hare's ears are landing fish. - Scott Aune, Absaroka Angler, Cody. Middle Fork Powder River Stoneflies are landing fish and so are halfbacks. Montana flies are also attracting fish. - Sheri Gould, Just Gone Fishing, Buffalo. North Fork of the Shoshone In the morning it is fishable, but in the afternoon it is dirty. A lot of the tributaries feeding it have been fishing very well. Conehead woolly buggers, bitch creeks and halfbacks are all attracting fish. - Scott Aune, Absaroka Angler, Cody. Ten Sleep Creek It is just starting to become fishable. It is still a little bit high. Try fishing the pockets. - Melanie Stine, The Outdoorsman, Worland. The Billings Gazette Fishing Report runs each Thursday in The Gazette and billingsgazette.com. For comments or questions, contact Gazette outdoor editor Mark Henckel by phone at: (406) 657-1395, or by e-mail at: henckel@bsw.net

Updated: Thursday, July 8, 1999
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