With Rivers in Peril, Western Montana Anglers Seek Other Options

First, our hearts go out to all our fellow western Montanans who are dealing with the aftermath of Wednesday night's horrific storms.

From downed power lines, including one laying across the Bitterroot River between Missoula and Lolo, to fallen trees, to lengthy power outages, to major vehicle and property damage, to essential travel only requests, the stress and frustration can be overwhelming. It is hard to imagine anyone not being affected in some way.

To add to the angst for those who love outdoor summer recreation in Montana, the weather is taking a toll on fishing opportunities in rivers and streams all over the state. Make absolutely certain you know what restrictions are in place, be they hoot owl or entire closures.

We suspect many of you won't let such obstacles curtail your passion for fishing. With that in mind, if your favorite river is just not the best option right now, we checked with a few correspondents about lake fishing opportunities in western and northwest Montana. And it looks like one very popular bite is coming into its season.

THE WHITEFISH BITE ON FLATHEAD

Correspondent Ross Tate of Missoula tells us that the whitefish bite on Flathead Lake was hot this past Tuesday, July 23. Ross fished the Narrows and then SkiDoo Bay in the southeastern corner of the lake, landing nearly 30 fish by 9:00 a.m..Lots of fish were showing up on the locator, and Ross was using assorted Zimmer Tackle (Pablo MT) Rattle-D-Zastor jigs with an effective yellow fly tied slightly above the lure.

HOLTER HAPPENINGS

From the Helena area, our friends at Capital Sports say walleye and perch fishing has been great in the coves and bays above the dam, along the clay banks, out from Cottonwood Creek, and near Mann Gulch while using purple jigs tipped with worms or leeches in 15 to 30 feet of water.

UPS AND DOWNS AT BROWNS

Brown's Lake near Ovando has been fishing well when heat and wind don't overtake the water. Note that Browns lake for the most part maxes out in depths of 20-25 feet. Anglers trolling with spinners or a few small Rapalas have enjoyed some success.

BASS, PERCH-CHANCE?

Chancy at Chancy and Dave's fish camp in Kalispell told us that the perch action on Lake Mary Ronan is still pretty good. No surprise here: get on them early in the morning. And a few nice bass can still be found as well.

Just a few suggestions that hopefully might make this weekend's fishing excursions a bit more enjoyable. Our partners from the Montana Outdoor Radio show have some other suggestions that might be of interest here.

Please stay safe, patient and courteous.