Summer is officially here, and the fish on Hauser Lake are settling into their seasonal routines. Whether you’re hunting for a “wolf pack” of walleye along the weed edges, trolling deep for trout (and maybe a lucky, wayward kokanee), or looking to hook into aggressive pike, we’ve got you covered. Check out Jonathan Miller’s latest breakdown from the counter at Montana Outdoor-Approved Capital Sports in Helena for the exact colors, speeds, and setups working best on the lake this week.
Hauser:
Decent trout action while trolling from Spokane bay down across lakeside in the deeper water. Mainly crankbaits in rainbow, brown trout, silver or gold colors. But a cowbells with a spinner or trolling spoon is another good option. Keep the speeds from 1.0mph up to 2.5mph. With cowbells I would stay on the slower end and stay a little faster with the crankbaits. If you aren’t finding much success by Spokane bay I would travel down the lake to White Sandy and troll from there to dam. If you are really lucky I have spoke to a couple guys that have managed to catch a wayward kokanee. But I have yet to talk to anyone that has been able to catch them consistently.
The walleye are settling into their summer patterns with the longer brighter days. My best luck has been along the weed bed edges from York Bridge all the way to the dam. Mainly casting jigs just off the edge and letting it sink along the weed wall. Mainly using Goby, Shad and perch colors in a 3” or 3.5” paddle tail on an 1/8th or 1/4 oz jig head. Drifting a slip bobber and a leech into the weeds can also be deadly. The key is to be patient and thorough but don’t be stagnant. I have found some wolf packs but they are few and far between but they are very willing to eat. But as long as you keep moving slow and covering water the chances of finding one are good.
The hard part fishing the weed edge is you will find pike. Their appetite has finally overcome their caginess from this spring. They have not been responding to the bigger husky jerks and glide baits like I had hoped but they are responding very well to jigs. Same colors as the what the walleye are biting. But if you want to narrow down the species a bit more, a tube jig is a good option.
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