Helena Area Sport Report 2/9/2012
By Kjel

Posted: February 11, 2012

The MISSOURI’S been popular in this winter weather (which was a LOT colder up this way in the last week!), and obviously even more populated on the weekends—but why miss a GREAT opportunity to get out your MIDGE EMERGERS & EGGS, or try a PARA ADAMS trailed by a MIDGE EMERGER? Temps are supposed to be in the mid 40s…that, combined with some cloud cover, should get some trout looking up! Get on over between the lakes for some of the best results…you won’t be by yourself, but the water’s open and we hear this is the SWEET SPOT…

On CANYON FERRY, folks are venturing out on the ice, with 12 good solid inches of the stuff! We’ve heard of ATVs about a mile out from the Silos! Perch activity has been steadily reported, but the perch aren’t hitting the lines HARD, so you may just find that you’ve landed one when you check your line, & not even be aware of it! Rainbow action in about 8 ft of water near the Silos, just go 6” down and use a black Wooly Bugger jig tipped with maggots! Or if it’s Walleye you want, go deep & try a nightcrawler harness jigged with a Fluorescent orange spin & glo about 16” above your bait!

At the Helena Valley Regulating Reservoir, Kokanee salmon are hitting! Success using Hali spoons tipped with white corn has been reported. The ice is about 11” thick.

For you SKIERS, GREAT DIVIDE reports 2” of new snow in the last 24 hours. There is 48” of snow at the lower mountain, and 48” at the upper mountain. They say they have a little new cold snow on top of deep base. At SHOWDOWN, 1” of new snow has fallen in the last 24 hours. Snow pack at the base is 35”, 50” at the summit. Packed powder & groomed surfaces abound!

Come on in the HELENA STORE for WEEK 2 of our annual ICE FISHING GEAR SALE. Check out our new Dry Flies, too…with weather in the 30’s & 40’s, we’ll see some insect swarms pretty continuously thru Spring! See you IN the store or OUT on the water!

Provided by ANGIE from Bob Ward & Sons

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