Try a Little Blast and Cast: Captain’s Column
By angelamontana

Posted: September 26, 2013

BeFunky_VintageColors_1a.jpgThe Montana waterfowl season opens this Saturday and as is the case every year the anticipation for hunters young and old is high. I will be heading to Charlo as Jaye and Linda Johnson are hosting the 15th annual Goose Blind Broadcast to be heard on the Montana Outdoor Radio Show this Saturday morning from 6am-8am. The official goose blind will be built to house up to 20 hunters. You may view a video that was taken a couple of years back on montanaoutdoor.com.

The video will show just how the construction of this portable blind to place. Just as important as the hunt itself the opening of waterfowl gives many of the hunters an opportunity to catch up with each other as they gather for this once a year event. Every year with the 60 foot blind set-up and the decoys strategically placed out in a field, that has been scouted for geese, we manage to harvest an impressive amount of birds. But as all waterfowl hunters know you never know how things will turn out so I invite you to join us once again as we will be broadcasting live from the goose blind this Saturday morning on the Montana Outdoor Radio Show.

It may be the opening of waterfowl season but fishing is red hot this time of year. Fall fishing in Montana is very good on rivers and lakes. The fish start to prepare for winter and go into a feeding frenzy. On top of that there are less anglers fishing so you can enjoy some good old fashion Montana solitude on your favorite body of water. Trevor Johnson from Kits Tackle says Holter Reservoir can be one of the lakes that offer some great fishing opportunities this fall. It is the time of the year that the trout are cruising the shoreline looking for food, “ This is hands down one of Montana’s most scenic spots to fish and you will see little traffic in the months of October and November.

As far as a ripping fun fishing time…this is it. The big crayfish gorged rainbow trout will be cruising the shorelines stuffing themselves with crustaceans. They are bright mint silver this time of year and will fight like a raging king salmon”. To catch these trout Johnson uses a fishing method that calls for casting into shore, “Create a buffer zone between your boat and the shore (my personal buffer is about 20 yards.) You want to make it a distance where you can accurately cast your jig to the shore without spooking the fish with your boat”. The jig of choice for Johnson is a Bart Zonker named after our jig guru Pro Staff member Bart Bratlien . The jigs are made to resemble a crayfish which every trout looks to feed on this time of year”.

The lower Flathead River is also a great spot to try your luck at fall fishing. The smallmouth bass fishing can be very good and the northern pike fishing can be excellent as the leaves turn and the water temperatures cool.

Fall is simply the best time of the year to try a little blast and cast. Hunting and fishing in Montana on the same day, it doesn’t get any better than that!

(Written by the Captain; Cover photo: youtube.com)

New Podcast!

Riley's Meats - Butte Wild Game Processing