Holter’s kokanee apparently have a group chat, and some anglers weren’t invited. The bite keeps changing, but the fish are big, the trolling is productive, and there is a lot happening past the salmon schools. Jonathan Miller of Capital Sports in Helena, a Montana Outdoor Approved establishment, has the latest on what’s working:
The kokanee here are now secret. What they want to bite on that day may be hard to pin down, but it seems people are finding more success than not. The average size has been good too. Holding at around the 2lb mark up to 5lbs. The fish are starting to show the slightest bit of color and jaw structure changes. I suspect soon the big schools will start showing up in the bay South of Holter dam. For now trolling is working well. Dodgers and a squid or wedding ring behind a snap weight. Chartreuse, Hot pink, orange or white are the most common colors. Scented corn is the preferred bait of choice but some guys have been preferring standard shoe peg corn and finding success. Catching is still happening at the 60’ mark but if the kokanee do what they’ve done in the past, once they school up 70’ to 90’ is where I’ve found them in the past.
Like Hauser, the walleye seem to be moving more and more out of the weeds and hanging out on the drop-offs. So work the very edges of weed beds or in between weed beds. Like the other two lakes, they are also responding well to jerk baits. It has not been unusual to watch a walleye come from 15’ and bite a bait at 6’ this year. Keep using the metallic silver or gold or a perch pattern. Drop shot with a worm is also effective if they are in a mood and want to stay on the bottom.
Perch have been hit or miss. There are some being caught sporadically through the weed beds in the canyon and lower Holter. Pinched crawler under a bobber is going to be the most consistent presentation.
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