Changes Are on the Calendar for Trappers and Anglers: Captain’s Column (2.27.14)
By angelamontana

Posted: February 27, 2014

Changes are on the calendar for trappers and anglers this coming Saturday. The wolf trapping season ends Friday February 28th. As of Monday 83 wolves have been successfully trapped in Montana. Hunters have taken 138 wolves so that brings the total wolf harvest to 221 since the wolf season began last year. Montana wolf trapping season ends Friday, but hunters can still hunt wolves until March 15th. Saturday March 1st is also the first day of the Montana 2014 fishing license season. There are some important regulations changes on several bodies of water in the Western District and Central Districts, so make sure you read the 2014 regulations on the lake or reservoir that you plan on fishing.

The Perch Pounder wrapped up its 22-day event last Saturday. The longest running perch tournament in Montana took place on Region One lakes in Northwest Montana. “It ended up being one of our best tournaments both for fish entered and the number of anglers participating”, reported the Perch Ponder organizer Gene Fincher. The following anglers took the top five places in this year’s Perch Pounder

1st – Jamie Gronley – 1.974,2nd – Wade O’Lexey – 1.932,3rd – Terry Riley – 1.806,4th- Kevin Kleist – 1.758, and 5th – Gary Hembd – 1.742. Fincher was very pleased with the way things turned out for perch derby which is he has held every February for the past few years, “We had 164 participants, we had an awesome fish fry, thousands of dollars in door prizes were given away and we just had a really great time”.

South of Hamilton fishing has been doing well “Como Lake is producing some rainbows by the dam,” reports Bill Brown from Bob Wards. Painted Rocks reservoir has also had reports according to Brown that the trout and the whitefish are biting.

Anglers are fishing through the ice on Lake Mary Ronan and the perch fishing is fair but maybe the story this week is it is your last chance to fish salmon. The salmon season ends at midnight on Friday on Lake Mary Ronan. “I have heard of reports where ice anglers have been doing very well on the salmon fishing at night”, said Jens Gran from Polson who in the spring is known as the Lake Mary Ronan Salmon Guru. “I have not had as much luck in the past week but I have seen anglers doing pretty well, so I know they must be biting”. Gran still plans on trying his luck before the salmon season closes Friday on Lake Mary Ronan where most anglers are fishing from around 9pm till midnight. The perch season is open year round and the kokonee salmon season will reopen Saturday May 17 on Lake Mary Ronan, which is also the opening of the Montana 2014 General Fishing Season.

Down in Southwest Montana it has been hit and miss, but if you would like to catch some ling through the ice Clark Canyon Reservoir south of Dillon might be a good bet according to Shelby from the Rocky Mountain Supply in Dillon, “We went fishing the other day for a couple of hours and caught 2 trout and 4 ling”.

(Written by the Captain)

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