Lets go fishing! I have mentioned that September is a great month to grab the rod and head out and here is some information that might be even more a motivating factor for you to get on the water.
Rock Creek is now open and the fish are ready for your flies. “There are still plenty of hoppers out and the fish have been on them,” said Doug Persico from Rock Creek Fisherman’s Mercantile. “In addition, most of the fall hatches have already started.”
That means blue winged olives are out in the afternoons whenever there is a little cloud cover. If we ever get any rain, the mayflies will still hatch and fly and the big orange caddis hatch has also started.
“On the creek your best bet to fish these flies is with a nymph, I recommend a size 8 orange serendipity to imitate these caddis,” says Persico. Look for the mahogany dun, which is traditionally the last hatch of the year on Rock Creek to come in the coming weeks.
As you know, Rock Creek was off limits to anglers for most of the last couple of months so get out and enjoy this Montana treasure just 20 miles east of Missoula.
Helena reservoirs are home to some great fishing this month. In fact, Woody Shuler from Townsend e-mail me with a picture of four nice kokanee salmon in the 2 to 4 pound range that he recently caught below Hauser Dam.
“I fished for about an hour and half and finished with four salmon,” said Shuler, “ I used 1/8 ounce ghost jig with a 3 inch white curl-tail.” Shuler who does a weekly fishing report for the Montana Outdoor Radio Show can be reached at 980-0319.
Georgetown Lake is producing some excellent trout fishing. Trolling or fishing by the bank are good bets for anglers.
Flathead Lake continues to produce whitefish. You have to look for them a little harder but when you get on top of a school the action is very good.
On the south end Ski Doo bay is still good and you might catch bigger fish just west of Bird Island. The whitefish will be in 50-60 feet of water. You will also catch an occasional lake trout while you are jigging for the whitefish. Speaking of lake trout anglers who have been trolling have been doing very well.
“It doesn’t matter if you are on the east side or the west side,” said Matt from Mo Fisch Charters. He recommends trolling a dodger and squid in about 60 feet depth off a downrigger.
Monte Turner from the morning TV show sent me an email that had some nice pictures of some good size lake trout. “We fished with Flathead Lake charters out of Woods Bay”, said Turner in the e-mail. The fishing party Turner was with caught 10 lake trout in 3 hours of windy choppy water. All the fish weighed over 8 pounds.
Bass fishing on the lower Flathead River continues to do very well. Northern Pike are also biting either hardware or smelt on Flathead River too!
If you want to travel a little further west try fishing on Noxon Reservoir. Bass and northern fishing is good.
