Fishing report: When in doubt, ask someone who knows | State & Regional

It turns out the advice I receive each week for this report actually works pretty well.

On Monday, my wife and I met up with her family at Canyon Ferry Reservoir. They’d rented the group a pontoon boat for the day.

As I had learned from compiling the statewide fishing report, the walleye bite had been pretty good at Canyon Ferry. And as I remembered from walleye fishing with my grandparents in Minnesota as a young lad, it’s hard to find a better tasting fish.

The only problem was I hadn’t fished for walleye since I was about 12 years old. I had some memories and none of the necessary equipment. 

But thanks to the email I receive each week from the Helena FWP, I had some guidance. We purchased a bottom bouncer, crawler harnesses, an assortment of jigs, worms and leeches, and off we went.

After exiting the marina it took about 30 seconds to locate the bottom with my worm harness rigged with leeches, and bingo! Another minute later we had our first walleye on board. Before the wind made the lake unfishable, we had three nice walleye in the cooler.

You better believe fish tacos are on tonight’s dinner menu at the Kiewiet household.

So here is a genuine “thank you” to everyone who helps with this report. I’m willing to bet I’m not the only one whose day was made thanks to the thoughtful insight provided by many helpful folks from around the state.

Belly River — This is your window to fish the Belly. As the weather warms up in the next 10 days or so, the bite will taper off. Get out there now if you plan to fish this body of water. Bring a selection of royal Coachmans, royal Wulffs, parachute Adams, egg-sucking leeches, black zebra midges, prince nymphs and renegades, and you should do just fine. — Arends Fly Shop, Columbia Falls

Bitterroot River — The fishing is still great. The only complaint is that there are a few sections of the river that are hard to float because of log jams, so check in with local shops for updates before putting a boat in the water. Golden stones ranging in size from 10-14 are still out and about. Popular patterns have been Henry’s Fork goldens, Huey’s downwing, Jake’s blackout stone, bullet-head goldens and tan chubbies. Drop a PMD imitation Perdigon off the back and you’re ready to go. PMD duns and spinners are going off as well in the back eddies and bubble lines. Size 16-18 Comparaduns, flash cripples, CDC duns, rusty spinners and PMD spinners will do the trick. If you’re planning an after-work session, there are caddis bouncing around as well. — Grizzly Hackle Fly Shop, Missoula.

Canyon Ferry Reservoir — Walleye fishing continues to be really good around the river mouth and Pond 3, Snaggy Bay, Round Top and most bays on the north end. Anglers are using chartreuse, yellow or white spinner blades with a bottom bouncer, slow death rigs or crankbaits. Worms and leeches are working equally well. Shore anglers are catching a few walleye in Beaver Creek Bay near White Earth and around the Silos. Rainbows have been caught while trolling cowbells or silver spoons on the north end around Cemetery Island or from White Earth to Hole in the Wall on walleye rigs. An occasional perch is being reported by walleye anglers. — FWP, Helena.

Flathead Lake (South) — The whitefish bite has continued to improve. Anglers 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. When baited with night crawlers, anglers can expect perch and suckers. 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. — Zimmer Bait and Tackle, Pablo.

Ackley Lake — The lake is full and the trout fishing has been good. The musky bite has been spotty. — Sport Center, Lewistown.

Beaverhead River — The Beaverhead continues to fish excellent. Nymph anglers are catching fish regularly on patterns like the Sunkist and Spanish bullets. Dry fly anglers can expect to find risers in specific situations, mostly dependent on weather and fishing pressure. PMD patterns as well as some large stonefly dries are getting eats. Trout have been chasing chubby Chernobyls on dry-dropper setups and a sparkle dun for a single dry. Fishing pressure has been concentrated closest to the dam, however anglers have been successful all the way to the town stretch in Dillon. — Frontier Anglers, Dillon.

Big Hole River — Trout fishing continues to be good. Golden stones, pale morning duns, caddis, and yellow sallies are still hatching, while terrestrials are also starting to pick up. One strange thing we don’t normally see is cicadas. Some fish will eat a big black or brown foam bug because of the giant noisy critters. Still, chubbies and water walkers in sizes 10-16 will match the hatch. Jig Frenchies, Spanish bullets and other Perdigons for a dropper or subsurface nymph have been excellent. Olive streamers have also been a good bet when there’s cloud cover. Bring a thermometer and stop fishing if water temps reach 68 degrees or hotter. Use heavier tippet to land fish quickly and keep them wet. — The StoneFly Fly Shop, Butte.

Bighorn Lake, Ok-A-Beh — There haven’t been many reports during the past week because the hot weather deterred quite a few anglers. The smallmouth bass fishing is probably still going good, as it usually is this time of year. Species that prefer cooler temps, like trout and walleye, are probably camped out in deeper water trying to beat the heat. — Scheels, Billings.

Bighorn River — The Bighorn is fishing well, top to bottom. The bites are coming mostly using nymphs and streamers, but the fish appear healthy and happy. Water temps are in the low 50s, so we might see some PMDs sooner than later. Carpet bugs, orange scuds and worms continue to produce reliably beneath the surface. Streamer fishing has been pretty steady, but especially good on cloudy days. — East Rosebud Fly Shop, Columbus. 

Blackfoot River — Nymphing San Juans, big stoneflies and flashy Perdigons will be the way to go. There are golden stones, yellow sallies, caddis and PMDs coming off the water, and fish should be looking up. Make sure to have a bit of each as some fish are selective with what they’re eating. Jake’s blackout stone, Henry’s Fork stone, true stone, tan or golden chubby with an explosion stone, 20 incher, rubberlegs, jig prince, jig PT or a PMD-type Perdigon will all be useful when prospecting for fish. If you see fish eating PMDs, a size 16 brindle chute, found link, sparkle dun, Comparadun or CDC dun are good bets. Caddis will work during the evening. — Grizzly Hackle Fly Shop, Missoula.

Boulder River — The catching is good but flows remain relatively high, making wading a continued challenge. Fishing golden stone dries with small mayfly droppers have yielded the best results. — Sweetcast Angler, Big Timber.

Clark Canyon Reservoir — With the great fishing in local rivers, reports from Clark Canyon have been few and far between. — Frontier Anglers, Dillon.

Clark Fork River, Missoula — Trout have been cooperative on this stretch of water. There are golden stones, PMDs and caddis during the evenings. Fish are starting to look up at dries, but droppers have been getting more eats. As the water levels continue to drop the fish will eat dry flies better. — Grizzly Hackle Fly Shop, Missoula.

Cut Bank Creek — This is a stretch of water, similar to the Belly, that will stop producing in about two weeks but it’s fishing good now. Royal Coachmans, royal Wulffs, parachute Adams, red Humpies, egg-sucking leeches, black zebra midges, prince nymphs and renegades will be your go-to patterns for the native cutthroat. — Arends Fly Shop, Columbia Falls

Deadman’s Basin — The lakes are still down in this area. No one has even come by to purchase bait. — Cozy Corner Bar, Lavina.

Flathead River, below Kerr Dam — Anglers have an opportunity at smallmouth bass, trout and pike. Casting spoons and spinners, or fishing crawlers will work for all three species. Fly fishermen looking for the challenge of reeling in a smallmouth on the fly have had success with wooly buggers. — Zimmer Bait and Tackle, Pablo.

Fort Peck Reservoir, Big Dry Arm — The walleye bite has been off and on. Some days it’s wide open and other days it’s scratchy at best. Bottom bouncing with worms and minnows has been the most efficient way to get a bite. Anglers have also had success jigging and pulling deep-diving cranks. — Rock Creek Marina.

Fort Peck Reservoir, Fourchette Bay — Fishing hasn’t been great. Anglers are picking up a few small walleye suspended in deep water while trolling. — Hardware Hank, Malta.

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

Gallatin River — The Gallatin is fishing great. Successful anglers have been running chubbies, caddis or sallies for their top bug. Behind that various Perdigons, iron sallies, tungsten split-case pmds, hare’s ears, prince nymphs and stoneflies have been doing the trick as a trailer. Salmonflies are now by the park, so fishing anywhere above the Taylor’s Fork would be a good option to fish those big dries. Golden stones will continue to hatch throughout the canyon. 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. — Montana Troutfitters, Bozeman.

Georgetown Lake — The big traveling sedge are hatching more and more each day, but still not a whole lot have been seen. Fishing blue damsels, damsel nymphs and leeches early and throughout the afternoon is best. The evening can be sporadic with good top water caddis patterns. Big Goddard caddis, tan-colored hoppers and stones, chubbies, and Gypsy kings are good choices. Trail the top fly with a Carey special or sheep creek and hold on. — The StoneFly Fly Shop, Butte.

Glacier National Park — Upper Two Medicine and Grizzly Medicine are excellent places to start. Old Man Lake is another great option 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 should also have a good shot at some fish. Royal Wulffs and renegades will be the first bugs out of your box in the Bowman area. — Arends Fly Shop, Columbia Falls.

Hauser Reservoir — Rainbows continue to be picked up while trolling cowbell and spinner combinations around the Black Sandy and White Sandy area. Walleye fishing has been fair around Eldorado Bar, the mouth of the Causeway Arm and around the Causeway Bridge while using various jigs, slip bobber setups with leeches or trolling bottom bouncers and crawler harnesses. Fishing early in the morning and late in the evening has been the most productive for both species. — FWP, Helena.

Holter Reservoir — Rainbow trout action continues to be great throughout the reservoir during the early morning or late evening hours while trolling various combinations of flashers with a spinner around 20 feet down in the water column. Walleye and perch fishing has been great near Cottonwood Creek, Mann Gulch, Clay Banks, off the South Village and the small bays above the dam. Jigs, slip bobber setups with leeches or trolling bottom bouncers with perch colored spinner blades around shallow points or weed beds has been working well. Fishing during the late evening hours has been producing the best bite for walleye. — FWP, Helena.

Kootenai River — Caddis are still coming off the water. Yellow or olive patterns in sizes 14-16 will get some eats. And like many other area rivers, yellow stimulators and parachute royal Coachmans will also be wise to have. — Linehan Outfitting, Troy.

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

Lake Mary Ronan — On the right day, the kokanee are still biting. It seems like they’ve responded best to high pressure when it’s hot and still. A good rule of thumb is jigging at night time and trolling during the day, as these fish have been climbing the water column to feed on plankton during the daytime. Perch fishing has also been consistent. — Zimmer Bait and Tackle, Pablo.

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

Madison River, Lower — The water currently pretty hot so be on the watch for high temps and stressed fish. If you really want to fish the Lower, fish during the morning when the water is at its coolest, pinch your barbs, keep the fight short and keep the fish 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. — Montana Troutfitters, Bozeman.

Madison River, Upper — This stretch has been fishing great. Salmonflies have made their way throughout the river with the best fishing being up higher. Chubby droppers have been working well. A smart set up to try is an orange, pink or copper chubby 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, so try a a 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. — Montana Troutfitters, Bozeman.

Main Stem of the Flathead River — The bite has been steady. Parachute Adams and parachute hare’s ears in the evening, and yellow stimulators during the morning is the ticket. — Arends Fly Shop, Columbia Falls.

Middle Fork of the Flathead River — All portions of this river are clear, but high. Wade fishermen should be very careful because the rocks are slick and the water is deep. Yellow stimulators, yellow humpies and parachute Adams should be all you need at the moment. — Arends Fly Shop, Columbia Falls.

Missouri River, below Holter — Not a lot has changed since last week except for the arrival of tricos. If they’re hatching, 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. For the diehard dry –fly-only fisherman, hatches tend to be mid-to-late morning. Flows on Wednesday were running at 4,360 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. — Roberts Bait & Tackle, Great Falls.

Nelson Reservoir — The walleye bite is good. Most fish are coming on crawler harnesses with worms or crankbaits in 12 to 18 feet of water. — Sport Center, Lewistown.

Noxon Rapids Reservoir — The water temperature is hovering around 67-70 degrees, and the level has dropped about 1-2 feet since last week. Fishing for pike, bass, bluegill and perch has been awesome. All species have been caught outside weed edges, along shady banks and in the mouths of coves. Walleye are hanging out deep and have been taken with crankbaits. You can also find trout willing to bite in the feeder creeks and deep in the main lake. The northern and bass have both been chasing hard lures and soft plastics with Texas-rig worms and swim baits being especially popular. Perch and bluegill are munching night crawlers and small spinners. — Lakeside Motel and Resort.

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) — The water is still dropping, but as a result it has been difficult to pinpoint the main channel that is holding fish. Anglers have had success hooking browns and rainbows when sticking to side channels using golden stones, yellow stimulators, chubbies and the like. It’s also worth noting that the pass will be open Friday at 5 p.m. — East Rosebud Fly Shop, Red Lodge.

Rock Creek (West) — Not much has changed on Rock Creek, except for the fact that it’s now wade fishing only. So it’s a good place to go for those who love to walk and wade. Levels are still above normal and probably will be for the rest of the season, but it’s great for the fish and visibility is just fine. There are a few goldens, along with PMDs and caddis. Anglers are starting to throw attractor dries like purple hazes, Adams, royal Wulffs and Humpies. A smaller golden such as Henry’s Fork, bullet head or Pav’s sweet dream with a size 16-18 Perdigon off the back is a solid way to prospect. When you see fish eating PMD duns or spinners, it’s time to switch over to a size 16-18 found link, brindle chute, CDC dun, rusty spinner or CDC spinner. — Grizzly Hackle Fly Shop, Missoula.

South Fork of the Flathead River — Fishing is awesome. A yellow stimulator fly has been working great in the morning. Parachute Adams and grey Wulffs will work best later in the evening. Starting next week, the parachute purple hazes will also be a must-have for these hungry trout. — Arends Fly Shop, Columbia Falls.

Spring Creek — Fish are eating both dries and nymphs depending on the time of day. — Sport Center, Lewistown.

Stillwater River — Stream levels are on the way down. With a little more time to drop and clear the bite will also pick up. If you are floating, large nymphs are most productive at these high flows. A worm or a golden stone nymph under a bobber has worked well, or a smaller pheasant tail for your dropper under a hopper. On top, they are looking for hoppers tight to the bank. This method will only improve as the flows drop and clarity improves. Black buggers also worked well this past weekend. — East Rosebud Fly Shop, Columbus.

Swan Lake — The highly anticipated lake trout bite is expected to pop any day. Recent reports have been promising, as the smaller fish have been on the chew. The bigger fish should follow suit as conditions improve and the water clears up. — 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 — The Yellowstone remains uncharacteristically muddy for this time of year and fishing will likely remain marginal as the river clears. — Sweetcast Angler, Big Timber.

Yellowstone River, Columbus — The flows have continued to drop post runoff and the clarity is in the “green range,” which is ideal for fishing. Note that clarity can turn muddy quickly on the Yellowstone if there are thunderstorms the night before, so check your graphs. Hatches are lingering with good caddis action and some nocturnal stones. Attractor dry fly fishing is a good option as water clarity hits the 2-foot mark. The hopper bite will improve as more insects molt into adults and develop wings. Nymphing remains excellent with a larger fly up top and a small bead-head trailer. — East Rosebud Fly Shop, Columbus.

Yellowstone River, Livingston — The flows are fishable flows but the river is still pretty muddy. There’s only about 4-6 inches of visibility on a given day. There are better options in the area, but there are salmonflies, golden stones, yellow sallies and caddis all over the river. However, the fish don’t seem to be looking up yet. — Montana Troutfitters, Bozeman.