Fishing report: Plenty of variety during the dog days of summer | State & Regional

While all those things are important during summer heat waves, I’m not here to do that.

I do want to point out that if your favorite stretch of water is hoot-owled, this is still an incredible time to fish in this part of the country.

The variety is tough to beat anywhere else. In addition to trophy-sized brown trout and native cutthroat, anglers can also experience wide-open bass fishing in addition to fish fry favorites like perch and walleye.

Speaking of tasty cuisine, you can also try your luck reeling in — pound for pound one of the hardest fighting fish in fresh or saltwater — king salmon.

You read that right, salmon fishing in Montana. What a time.

Beaverhead River — Catching has been nothing short of impressive. Anglers are almost routinely landing brown and rainbow trout over 20 inches and occasionally fish eclipsing the 24-inch mark. Flows here are increasing, pumping cold and clear water down the Beaverhead’s famous tail-water stretch. Nymph anglers have been having as good of days as you can imagine. Drop-shot rigs are recommended. Dry fly fishing does exist, but that bite has diminished lately with the PMDs and caddis tapering off. There is plenty of subsurface action to keep folks occupied until the crane flies show up. — Frontier Anglers, Dillon.

Bighorn River — Fishing is about to break loose on the Bighorn. More PMDs and black caddis are showing up and it should have the fish on the surface any day. Nymphing has been great with carpet bugs, rays, Frenchies, split-case PMDs and Perdigons. The water is clear and water temps are in the mid-50s. — Bighorn Angler, Fort Smith. 

Flathead Lake (South) — The only recent development is the already good fishing has gotten even better. Dick Zimmer of Zimmer Bait and Tackle noted that there is an incredible amount of bait fish in the water. Earlier this week he came back to the shop with nearly 100 pounds of bait. The vast amount of water dumping into the lake near Polson is carrying a substantial amount of life. Anglers targeting whitefish can fill their cooler if they’re in the right place at the right time. These fish have been especially aggressive when there are small perch moving through an area, so a fish finder and a little bit of luck are essential. A popular method for getting a bite has been using a type of lure that’s known as a “Wannabe.” When rigged with maggots, it will attract whitefish and lake trout. Lures resembling what is known as a “Rattle Disaster” have also worked well, especially in light green. With the abundance of whitefish, the lake trout fishing has also picked up. If you don’t own downriggers, that’s not a problem. Lake trout have been caught in 20-50 feet of water. Downriggers are more efficient but not essential for these depths if you have some type of weighted line. The perch fishing has also been excellent when dropping a maggot down to about 30-35 feet. — Zimmer Bait and Tackle, Pablo.

Fort Peck Reservoir, dam area — This area is seeing some of the best variety in the state. Anglers targeting walleye, northern pike, salmon, lake trout and smallmouth bass have all been successful. Walleye are biting in that classic 16-25-foot range, eating worms and leeches attached to harnesses and spinner blades. Northern are mixed in with the walleye, but for those targeting the slimy predators are having luck casting spinnerbaits, crankbaits, spoons and trolling crankbaits. Beavis trolling flies Brad’s bait cuts, 406 tackle flies trolled in 60-90 feet or 120-150 should hopefully attract some salmon. Lakers are being plucked from the bottom while trolling about 60-100 feet deep. Bass are aggressively eating jigged minnows or crawlers pitched near rock piles. — Lakeridge Lodging & Bait Shop.

Big Hole River — Fishing remains good. Keep an eye on those water temperatures in the afternoon and hoot-owl restrictions . A dry-dropper setup has been catching fish throughout the day. Use a chubby Chernobyl or water walker dry fly with a jig-head nymph a few feet below. PMDs are the main hatch at the moment, with a few tricos starting to appear. Purple haze, guide Winna Spinna and sparkle duns are great patterns for these mayflies. — The StoneFly Fly Shop, Butte.

Bighorn Lake, Ok-A-Beh — It looks like another weekend of scorching heat. Luckily the smallmouth bass don’t seem to mind, so it’ll be up to the anglers to figure out how much sun they can tolerate. Ned rigs and crawfish imitations have both been popular for the excellent bass fishing. Walleye are also still being picked up trolling crankbaits and bottom bouncers. — Scheels, Billings.

Bitterroot River — The ’Root is in transition mode at the moment. Fewer hatches have been seen coming off the water and anglers are starting to fish more terrestrials. Spruce moths haven’t been seen in great numbers yet, but hopefully they’ll show soon on the upper river. Small hoppers like a size 12-14 in tan, pink or peach with a Perdigon, jig prince or jig PT dropper seems to be the best way to prospect for fish. Long droppers are key to getting your bug down to the fish when the sun is high.  A few PMD spinners are falling in certain areas and a size 16-18 rusty spinner is a good bet. Early mornings into early afternoons have been the best time to be on the water. Water temps are rising on the lower river so keep fish in the water and net them quickly. Upper river water temps have been great. — Grizzly Hackle Fly Shop, Missoula.

Blackfoot River — The Blackfoot continues to fish well, albeit with not many hatches going on right now. There are a few PMDs and pseudos out but for the most part, trout are transitioning to terrestrials for their meals. Hopefully we will see spruce moths soon. Hoppers, ants and beetles, as well as attractor dry flies like royal Wulff’s, Stimi’s and hippy stompers. A hopper-dropper with a tan, red, pink or peach hopper and a Perdigon, Jig Prince, rubberlegs or San Juan dropper is the way to go. A deep dropper is key when the sun is high and no clouds present to offer protection. Lots of tubers are going out in the afternoons so make sure to go early to beat the crowds. — Grizzly Hackle Fly Shop, Missoula.

Boulder River — The Boulder is fishing well with PMDs, yellow sallies and golden stoneflies all hatching. Floating is giving way to wade fishing as flows drop. — Sweetcast Angler, Big Timber.

Canyon Ferry Reservoir — Walleye action continues to be really good. Walleye, perch and rainbows are all being caught on bottom bouncers or crankbaits. Most action has been mid-reservoir from White Earth to Hellgate. Purple, red, silver and chartreuse are the best colors with worms or leeches working equally well. Shore fishing has been slow for all species. — FWP, Helena.

Clark Fork River, Missoula —  The Clark Fork is fishing well in the early morning to early afternoon. Later in the day the water is warming up too much for good and safe fishing. There are some PMD spinners falling and a rusty spinner or PMD spinner in a size 16-18 with a drag-free drift will get those sippers. Hopper-dropper is another great way to go right now with size 12-14 hoppers and a PMD nymph or nocturnal stone dropper, like a rubberlegs, 20-incher or explosion stone. Nocturnal stones fished in the early morning with a twitch will get some violent strikes. — Grizzly Hackle Fly Shop, Missoula.

Cooney Reservoir — Cooney is currently full and water continues to run over the spillway. The water temperature has risen to the mid-to-low 70s and the clarity is around 10 feet. Trout fishing is moderately good for both boat and shore anglers. Worms or Power Bait have been working for the shore fisherman and trolling cowbells with Luhr Jensen needlefish spoons has been producing for the boat anglers. Perch fishing has been slow. Some nice perch have been caught that were over a pound, but there is not a high volume of them. Leeches with a yellow or orange jig head along the weed edges have been producing a few nice fish. The walleye bite has been hit-and-miss. Bottom bouncers with a blue or green worm harness tipped with a worm or leech has been a good tactic. Some boats found success with Jig Raps along rocky outcroppings. — Cooney State Park.

Flathead Lake (North) — Anglers are reporting hungry whitefish with a few lake trout mixed in around the delta in 40-50 feet of water. If you strike out, try going a little deeper to 60-80 feet. Jigging and trolling have both been popular methods for whitefish and lakers.  — Chancy and Dave’s Fish Camp.

Flathead River, above the lake — Spin and fly fishermen alike are having success. Casting rooster tails or fishing salmon eggs under a bobber has produced fish. Various terrestrial patterns like wooly buggers as well as Humpies and purple hazes have been the ticket for fly anglers. Be sure to check the updated regulations before heading out. — Chancy and Dave’s Fish Camp.

Fort Peck Reservoir, Big Dry Arm — Northern pike and walleye are both on the chew. Anglers also reported that most fish were “decent size.” — Rock Creek Marina.

Fresno Reservoir — The bite is mediocre to slow. As walleye tend to do, the ones caught have been had by crawlers and leeches. — Roberts Bait & Tackle, Great Falls.

Gallatin River — The catching has been superb. Guides and anglers have all been running chubbies, caddis or sallies for the top bug. Behind that fishing various Perdigons, iron sallies, tungsten split-case PMDs, hare’s ears, prince nymphs and stoneflies, will do the trick. If you are still chasing salmon flies, there may be the occasional, sporadic hatch in the park but that hatch is passed for the most part. PMDs have still been spotted hatching just below the canyon. Golden stones will continue to hang around throughout the canyon as well. If you want to go dry or die, fish a chubby as your top fly and an x-caddis or missing link caddis as your dropper. Also be aware of hoot-owl restrictions. — Montana Troutfitters, Bozeman.

Georgetown Lake — Georgetown Lake continues to fish very well. Blue and green damsel flies have been catching fish throughout the day. When things slow down, try stripping damsel nymphs or small leech patterns. In the late evening, try skating a big dry fly to imitate the traveling sedge. Numerous foam patterns work well for this, like chubby Chernobyls, Gypsy kings and royal PMXs. — The StoneFly Fly Shop, Butte.

Glacier National Park — Upper Two Medicine and Grizzly Medicine are excellent places to start. Old Man Lake and Red Eagle Lake are also great options if you don’t mind trekking the extra miles. Royal Coachmans, parachute Adams, egg-sucking leeches, black zebra midges, prince nymphs and renegades should do the trick. Those who have acquired the permits to fish Bowman Creek are experiencing phenomenal fishing. Royal Wulffs and renegades will be the first bugs out of your box in the Bowman area. — Arends Fly Shop, Columbia Falls.

Hauser Reservoir — A few walleye are being picked up during the late evening hours around Eldorado Bar, in the Causeway Arm and around Dana’s Point. Most walleye anglers are using various jigs, slip bobber setups with leeches, or trolling bottom bouncers and crawler harnesses. A few rainbows continue to bite early in the morning while trolling cowbells and spinner combinations between Black Sandy and the Powerlines. — FWP, Helena.

Holter Reservoir — Walleye and perch action continues to be good during the morning or late evening hours around Mann Gulch, Cottonwood Creek, the Clay Banks, and other points and weed beds throughout the reservoir. Using various jigs, slip bobber setups with leeches, or trolling bottom bouncers with white, chartreuse, or orange spinner blades has been working well. A few rainbows continue to be caught during the early morning or late evening hours while trolling various flashers with a spinner combination and a crawler around 25 feet down in the water column. — FWP, Helena.

Lake Frances — Walleye are eating leeches and crawlers fished while drifting. — Roberts Bait & Tackle, Great Falls.

Lake Mary Ronan — It’s been awhile since there was a good report. — Zimmer Bait and Tackle, Pablo.

Madison River, Lower — The lower is pretty hot so be on the watch for high water temps and stressed fish. There are better options in the area currently. If you really want to fish the lower, fish it in the morning when the water temps are at their lowest, pinch your barbs, keep the fight short and keep those trout wet. Fish a dry-dropper with a chubby or a stubby chubby, and behind that throw small flashy nymphs like Nymphicators, Perdigons, caddis pupa and iron sallies. Even with all the precipitation this year, hoot-owl is still in effect. — Montana Troutfitters, Bozeman.

Madison River, Upper — The upper has been fishing great. Chubby droppers have been working well. Try orange, pink and copper in sizes 8-16. Wooly buggers and small attractor nymphs have been working great as a dropper. There are a lot of caddis out as well. When you spot those bugs hatching, try missing link, X caddis or elk hair caddis, size 14-16. Golden stones, yellow sallies and PMDs will be your other options throughout the river. If the fish aren’t looking up, streamers can also be a good option especially if you are looking for a trophy. Try a yellow mini dungeon or sparkle minnow when the sun is out. — Montana Troutfitters, Bozeman.

Marias River — Catfish and sturgeon are both eating night crawlers. Cut bait has also yielded decent results. — Roberts Bait & Tackle, Great Falls.

Missouri River, below Holter — Trico hatches are now a common occurrence. As we plunge deeper into the dog days of summer, it is recommended to get to the river early. That way you’ll be in time for the bug hatches and hopefully done fishing before the float tubes get going. If the tricos are coming off the water, a size 18-22 spinner fall fished near the bank would be ideal. For subsurface fishing, dry-droppers fished near the banks have been producing. Popular bottom flies have been various Perdigons as well as green machines in sizes 14 and 16, and a variety of PMD imitations. For top flies, film critic and extended body PMDs have gotten a lot of eats. Corn-fed caddis, double-duck caddis, purple Parawolfs and royal chubbies have worked as well. When fishing bigger, deeper water a nymph rig will work better than the dry-dropper. Flows on Wednesday were running at 4,140 CFS.— Montana Fly Goods, Helena.

Missouri River, Fort Benton — The fishing has been almost the same as the Marias. Catfish and sturgeon are eating night crawlers, and cut bait has also been productive. Walleye and sauger fishing is slow. — Roberts Bait & Tackle, Great Falls.

Pablo Reservoir — Not much has been reported recently. If you’re targeting bass and pike, early morning is usually best. — Zimmer Bait and Tackle, Pablo.

Pishkun Reservoir — A few northern pike have been landed recently. Successful anglers have been using smelt and herring. — Roberts Bait & Tackle, Great Falls.

Rock Creek (East) — Water levels are back down to normal and hoppers are on the menu with great trout fishing to boot. Hopper-droppers are the rig of choice. Any bead-head nymph for your dropper will do the job. It’s about 50-50 between eats on the top bug and takes down below. There are some caddis and PMDs out in the morning, but when fish are keying in on these bigger terrestrials there’s no reason to deviate. — East Rosebud Fly Shop, Red Lodge.

Rock Creek (West) — Rock Creek is still fishing great. Spruce moths haven’t arrived yet, but hopefully we will see them this year after a no-show last season. Terrestrials are on the menu now with not much for hatches. Small hoppers, ants and beetles as well as attractor dry flies will work. Look for fish holding near grass banks, middle-river drops, boulders and trenches. Drop a Perdigon, rubberlegs, jig PT or San Jaun off the back of your hopper when the trout aren’t coming up. — Grizzly Hackle Fly Shop, Missoula.

Stillwater River — Trout fishing has been good using hopper-droppers. There are some mayflies around, so a purple haze and similar patterns will also have you covered. The flows are back to normal but it is essentially a new river. If you had a favorite hole, there’s a good chance it’s not there anymore. If you plan on floating the river, you’ll be advised to take out at Jeffrey’s Landing. Just downriver from there is a flexible green gas pipe that needs to be removed from the river. At least one boat has already flipped over and lost their gear bag. Luckily everyone in the boat was OK. — East Rosebud Fly Shop, Columbus.

South Fork of the Flathead River — Fishing is still great on all sections. The royal Wulffs and purple hazes are starting to kick in big time. Other than that, a yellow stimulator fly has been working in the morning. Parachute Adams and grey Wulffs will work best later in the evening. Water levels are dropping and temps are climbing, but it isn’t anything to worry about yet. — Arends Fly Shop, Columbia Falls.

Swan Lake — People have been out but fishing has been poor. — Zimmer Bait and Tackle, Pablo.

Tiber Reservoir — Fishing has been on the slow side. Walleye that have been caught have been small. Spinner blades, bottom bouncers, jigs and deep diving crankbaits have been the rigs of choice. — Roberts Bait & Tackle, Great Falls.

Yellowstone River, Big Timber — Fishing is picking up on this portion of the Yellowstone. The clarity is improving and fish are gulping down golden-stone nymphs and dries. Look for some hopper-dropper action as well. As always, fish a streamer if you’re hunting for trophies. — Sweetcast Angler, Big Timber.

Yellowstone River, Columbus — Fishing hasn’t been great. In addition to some trout, smallmouth bass and a 15-pound channel catfish have recently been caught. Anglers are encouraged to harvest smallmouth. — East Rosebud Fly Shop, Columbus.

Yellowstone River, Livingston — The dry-dropper is starting to produce on the ’Stone as the visibility improves. For the dry-or-die angler, a chubby or hopper and a caddis behind it has been producing chases and eats. X-caddis or missing link in size 14-16 have been working great. Streamers can be a productive option right now with the low visibility. Black and olive will do the trick, but a sparkle minnow can also produce if the sun is shining bright. For nymphing, a caddis pupa or small flashy Perdigons have been working. The rainbow Spanish bullet or caddis pupa have been popular recent purchases at local shops. — Montana Troutfitters, Bozeman.

Beartooth Lakes — The Beartooth Scenic Highway road reopened Friday, so access to the lakes is now easy with no closures on roads to Red Lodge or Cooke City. Access to the NE part of Yellowstone is still restricted to CUA holders. The lakes are fishing well with a mix of dries, wet flies and smaller streamers all getting eats. Brook, rainbow, cutthroat and lake trout are found in many of these lakes. Fish mostly range in size from 6-14 inches except for lake trout in Beartooth Lake, which will be larger. Dry flies that work well are royal Wulffs, royal Trudes, Humpies, elk hair caddis, parachute Adams, irresistibles, micro chubby, ants, beetles and small stimulator patterns in sizes 12- 18. In you can’t seem to get those fish to rise, a soft-hackle bloody Mary (partridge and brown, partridge and peacock), Prince nymph, pheasant tail or hare’s ears should do the trick below the surface. Small leech and wooly bugger patterns in black, olive, brown or white will satisfy your streamer needs. Pack mosquito repellent and bear spray as well as good polarized sunglasses and sunscreen. — North Fork Anglers, Cody.

Bighorn River, Thermopolis — Fishing has been great. San Juan worms, sow bugs, soft-hackled sowbugs, size 14-20 tungsten bead nymphs and girdle bug patterns have been the ticket. We have also had success dead drifting Zirdle bugs, yuk bugs and thin mints. — North Fork Anglers, Cody.

Cody-area lakes — At Luce Lake, fish are coming to the surface for grasshoppers, cicadas, ants and beetles. Damsel fly nymphs and adult patterns are also working well. Fishing deep under a dry or indicator is effective with Chironimid pupae patterns, especially when the wind is up. The trout are more active during the early mornings and early evening. A successful angler will be armed with beetles, ants, foam beetles, parachute Adams, callibaetis, and sparkle or Compara duns for surface eats. Pheasant tails, damsel fly nymphs, blue adult damsels, hares ears, balanced leeches and wooly buggers will get bites down low.— North Fork Anglers, Cody.

Lower Shoshone — Fishing is not as impressive as it is on the North Fork. But anglers are can get eats while nymphing with tan or black North Fork specials in sizes 10-14, especially the black-bodied red or purple tungsten bead versions. Other wet flies that are working are bead-head or regular princes, copper Johns, bloody Marys, PTs, gold-ribbed hare’s ear, and gray or peacock soft hackles, halfbacks and Pat’s rubberlegs ranging in size from 4-16. For dry flies, try tan or gold chubby Chucks, purple chubby Chucks, yellow stimulators or orange ho candy in sizes 6-10. In you want to swing a streamer, peanut envy, mini peanuts, wooly buggers, muddler minnows, Zonkers and similar imitations in sizes 2-10. Tan, olive, black and white have all been good colors.— North Fork Anglers, Cody.

North Fork of the Shoshone — The North Fork is fishing great top to bottom at Gibbs Bridge in Wapiti Valley. The trout are eating larger dries, dry-droppers, streamers or two-nymph rigs. Water temperatures are probably still too chilly for most to wet made, so don’t put away your waders yet. Flows are still high so watch your step if you’re not in a boat. — North Fork Anglers, Cody.