Written by Downrigger Dale

Downrigger Dale!

This week the Captain and I’s travels took us back to the town of Fort Peck, MT on Fort Peck Reservoir for the start of the Chinook Salmon Run and man it is starting off incredible. Every year folks come from all over to try their luck at catching these big salmon. Typically the face of the dam is a favorite spot to target these majestic fish. Right now it is still a bit early to hit that area as the salmon are still making their way to the dam where the majority of them are stocked each year. Chinook Salmon will almost always return to the spot where they where stocked after they mature which takes about three years. Because of the incredible hard work of the FWP workers at the hatchery located near the base of the dam in Fort Peck, MT and those that volunteer each year, the egg take over the last several years has been at record numbers. As a result the mature salmon making their way back to the dam seem to be at record numbers as well. The reason I say this is it was pretty rare that anglers would find these fish until they all congregated at the dam in August, but this year anglers have been catching them in many areas of the lake as early as April. As So the theory is that this year the numbers of salmon are so large in the lake that they can be found by much more anglers sooner than expected and the Captain and I were no exception.

Brother Dale and Bill

Our good friend Bill Zahradka a.k.a The Salmon Slayer, of Wolf Point, MT, took the Captain and I out on his boat along with his brother Dale a.k.a Dipsy Diver Dale and his daughter Tessa a.k.a. Two Fish Tessa, both from North Dakota, and we caught 5 nice salmon ranging from 10 to 15 pounds see the pictures below. The next day we went out with Bill again and we were joined by 15 year old Lainey and 13 year Conner who are kids of Bill’s friends from Billings and Laurel, MT. See their pictures below. We had another great day catching 11 salmon ranging from 10 to 18 pounds and the next day Cap and I went out alone for a few hours and picked up three nice ones again.

We are staying at the Lakeridge Lodging and Bait Shop across the highway from the Fort Peck Marina. This is a great place to stay whether you are traveling with your RV like us or just need a comfortable motel room. The wonderful staff in the tackle shop can also give you some great fishing info. Give them a call at (406) 526-3597. Eddie and his family will take great care of you.

For more on how to fish these salmon check out The Captains Column Thursday on montanaoutdoor.com.