Northwest Reel Life July 2024 Volume 3 Issue 9 - Flipbook - Page 11
walleye, northern pike, and
smallmouth bass. Mundel
likes to cast paddle-tail jigs
to the fish in the spring and
will transition to trolling
spinner worm harnesses
behind bottom bouncers
as the waters warm up over
55 degrees. The northern
pike as well as the walleye
are often caught with live
bait. You are not allowed
to use the ciscoes found in
the lake for bait, but you
can use fathead minnows,
creek chubs, and shiners
which he will simply fish
in a dead-stick fashion,
dropping them towards
the bottom (but not on it)
from the side of the boat.
As spring turns to summer
topwater baits can be
very effective for both the
smallmouth bass and pike.
Lake trout are another
option. In the spring they
will be found in relatively
shallow water (15 – 20
feet deep) feeding on the
ciscoes along with the bass,
walleye, and pike. As the
waters warm though, the
Mackinaw head to deeper
water. The Mackinaw run
big here, up to 38-inches,
according to Mundel.
In these deeper waters,
you will also find Chinook
salmon as well as coho
salmon, all stocked in the
lake from a hatchery below
Fort Peck Dam.
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Mundel will troll using
downriggers and flashers in
front of his bait or lures to
catch all three species.
The salmon can get big
here. The state record
Chinook a 32-pound
specimen, as well as
the state record coho, a
4.88-pound salmon, both
caught out of Fort Peck
Reservoir. Speaking of state
records, the current record
smallmouth bass, sauger,
saugeye, shortnose gar, and
freshwater drum were also
caught out of this big lake.
The primary access points
for most anglers are
near Fort Peck south of
Glasgow which is almost
all paved. Another option
is Hell Creek Marina north
of Jordan where you’ll
travel 25 miles over gravel
roads to get to the marina.
There are campgrounds
and boat launches at both
locations. Additional access
is available from Glasgow,
Malta, and Highway 200
near Jordan though these
roads can involve lengthy
routes over gravel.
If you are looking for places
to stay, eat, recreate and
more in Montana’s Missouri
River Country check out
the local tourism bureau’s
website at:
www.missouririvermt.com
and be sure to ask for a free
travel guide while you are
there.