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Helena Area Reservoirs Fishing Report 5.22.23
Canyon Ferry: Rainbow action has slowed down as they are heading away from shore. A few are still being caught from shore on the north end of the reservoir at…
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WHAT FLOATS YOUR BOAT!!!
Boating safety is important when on Montana’s rivers, lakes, and waters. Any activity done near or on the water makes safety more of a concern. Drowning, hypothermia, and injury can…
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LEADER LOVE!!!
Fly Fishing is the opposite of spin fishing. Spinning rods require that the weight of the bait or heavy lure pull line off the reel. In Fly Casting, the heavy…
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THE TWIST!!!
C’mon Baby, Let’s Do the TWIST! This may be the perfect song for some dancing, but not what a fisherman wants to hear or see. Twisted fishing lines means a…
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Yellowstone River Fishing Report by Montana Angler 5.18.23
Current Conditions: The Yellowstone River is high and will likely be in runoff mode for several more weeks. The Months Ahead: Runoff runs long and late on the Yellowstone River. It will…
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Fishing Report for Fresno and Nelson Reservoirs 5.18.23
Fresno is full of water and surface temp mainly in the sixties. The water is stained. Walleye fishing is good in 5’-15’ of water using crank baits and jigging. Nelson…
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Catfish on Peterson Point
Did you know that the largest and most important catfish to sport fishermen in Montana is the native channel catfish of the Yellowstone and Missouri River drainages? (via mt.gov) Tom…
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Nelson Dredge was Good Thursday
Tom Burch, Brian Olson and the Captain caught some walleyes on Thursday, and they have pictures to prove it! Nice work, guys!
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Kootenai River Fishing Report by Dave Blackburn’s Kootenai Angler May 15-23, 2023
Kootenai River Flow: 9,200 Cubic Feet per second 2 foot visibility, 42 degrees. Koocanusa Inflow: 30,000 cfs, Fisher river flow: 1100 cfs, Yaak Flow: 2990 cfs Hatches: March BrownsLittle Blue Quills, Midges,…
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Brett French reports: Stillwater River trout numbers hold despite last June’s historic flood
Last June several streams in southern Montana hit historic high flows. One of those was the Stillwater River, just outside of Columbus. When the river peaked, it was 11 feet…
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FLASH and TRASH!!!
High and off-color water doesn’t mean no fishing, you just need to change strategies. A fish must eat, and a bigger PIG must eat more. Just because the water levels…
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BURNT DOGS and BRATS!!!
Grilling dogs and brats are a learned skill. Most rookie grillers throw a dozen or so tube steaks onto the grill and cook them on a high heat. Usually, they…
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Revisit 2023-2024 Approved Fishing Contests
In case you needed a refresher of the lineup of Montana fishing contests for 2023-2024, here you go: approved-2023-open-water-fishing-contest2.28.2023
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Take the ****** bait
NOTE THAT THERE IS SWEARING IN THE FOLLOWING VIDEO – IF YOU GET OFFENDED BY FISHING FRUSTRATIONS VIA SWEARING, PLEASE DO NOT WATCH We typically try to keep the content…
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Statewide MT Fishing Report Compilation 5.17.23
Email us your weekly fishing report to include it in this Montana fishing report compilation before the end of the day on Tuesday of each week here along with your name and website/email address…
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Lake Trout Chowder, Anyone?
In honor of the May 2023 catch and release of the world-record lake trout caught in Colorado (click here), we are sharing this lake trout chowder recipe. A bread bowl…
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FWP News: YELLOW TAG PADDLEFISH SEASON STARTS MAY 15 – FIRST DAY IS A CATCH-AND-RELEASE DAY ONLY AT INTAKE
The 2023 yellow tag paddlefishing season on the Yellowstone River and Missouri River downstream of Fort Peck Reservoir starts Monday, May 15. Monday is a designated catch-and-release only day, meaning…
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Colorado angler shatters state and world record with lake trout catch
A father, Scott Enloe, and son, Hunter, went out fishing in early May, and what a catch Pops made! Scott caught a dandy laker that annihilated the Colorado state record…
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2023 Spring Mack Days Final Results 5.15.23
The 2023 Spring Mack Days final day of the fishing competition on Flathead Lake was Saturday, May 13th, with a total of 33,297 lake trout that were entered in the…
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BOOT RIP BOOGIE!!!
Some anglers just need to wet wade since no boots are ever going to stay waterproof on their bodies. It doesn’t matter what company makes them, how thick they are,…
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Statewide MT Fishing Report Compilation 5.11.23
Email us your weekly fishing report to include it in this Montana fishing report compilation before the end of the day on Tuesday of each week here along with your name and website/email address…
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BROWNS DOWN!!!
Brown trout populations in Montana are on the decline. The Bighole, Bighorn, and now the upper Clarks Fork are all showing dramatic changes in Brown trout. There seem to be…
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Trophy Walleye Heaven on Fort Peck
The Captain was walleye fishing on Fort Peck this week. It was as close to walleye heaven as you can get on Tuesday and Wednesday. Gary Rueb from Plentywood joined…
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FWP News: Celebrate Mother’s Day with free fishing
HELENA – No fishing licenses will be required Mother’s Day weekend, May 13 and 14. So grab your gear and your gal and head out to enjoy Montana’s countless rivers,…
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Helena Area Fishing Report by FWP 5.8.23
Canyon Ferry: Rainbow trout are still cruising the shorelines and providing great action on the north end of the reservoir for shore anglers. The best rainbow fishing is around the Outhouse, Shannon,…
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2023 Spring Mack Days – Week 8 Update 5.8.23
There is one week left in the 2023 Spring Mack Days Event. It is not too late to come out and be a part of the event. Mack Days are…
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Missouri River Montana May Water Forecast by Headhunters Fly Shop 5.6.23
Higher water? Yes, this month and next. Average? Yeah, it is. A normal winter here in Montana had us upset for the duration, but it is not uncommon in the…
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X MARKS THE SPOT!!!
Finding that specific fishing hot spot is just half of the battle. Remembering where it is another problem. Oh sure, modern technology can get you close but sometime the structure…
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activities, Bighorn River, Boating, Boating Safety, Fishing, Float, Fly Fishing, health, How to, Madison River, Montana Grant
RIVER LIVER!!!
As the rivers become more float friendly, floaters and boaters are drawn to the flows. Great weather means more water borne people. As Montana becomes more popular, floating becomes more…
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Jerry Johnston Tough Guy Tourney Results 5.6.23
The Tough Guy Walleye Tourney,that took place out of Fort Peck Reservoir at Hell Creek Marina, results are in! Excellent work to all anglers who participated and supported the event!
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APRIL ICE!!!
Usually, Ice Men are done fishing by the end of March. The lakes begin to melt, and Spring Runoff can begin. Slushy, old, and cloudy ice are not as good…
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MT Outdoor Podcast: When Man, Mountain, River and Fish become One | A Conversation with Legendary Guide, John Perry
This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast, Downrigger and The Captain sit down with fishing guide and outfitter John Perry, aka, The Mountain Man. John is one of the few…
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Fresno and Nelson Reservoirs Fishing Report by Brian Olson 5.4.23
Fresno is full of water. Water is stained, and the main lake surface temp is in the 40s. Walleye fishing is slow. Crappie can be caught in the backs of…
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Are you hooking the trophies…or trying to? Tune in to Catchin the Big Ones!
Tune in to Catchin the Big Ones with the Captain for the latest fishing reports for Western and Central Montana this Friday morning from 8-9am on KGVO 1290am/98.3fm in Missoula (Click here for our statewide radio network). You…
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Walleye Spawn Update II, May 2, 2023
The walleye trap netting and egg collection effort is in full swing in the Big Dry Arm of Fort Peck Reservoir! Water surface temperatures have bumped up slightly to around…
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Tough Guy Walleye Tourney is Saturday
If you’re planning on entering the Jerry Johnston Memorial Tough Guy Tournament at Hell Creek, note that you need to register by tomorrow. The dates are off on the form,…
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NAP TIME!!!
As we get older, we become children again. At age 60, you are allowed to count backwards. This means some of the same childish habits. When we were young kids,…
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JUST A LITTLE FURTHER!!!
Sometimes an angler must cast a really long way. Perhaps they just saw a huge fish surface, or closer casts tended to spook the fish. Maybe the structure or edge…
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![Fishing with kiddos [VIDEO]](https://dev.montanaoutdoor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/fishingkiddos.jpg)
Fishing with kiddos [VIDEO]
Fishing is just as fun for the adults as it is for the kiddos! Check out this footage of a youngster catching a nice rainbow by herself. Even though my…
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Georgetown Lake scores 1/5 by Blackfoot River Outfitters 4.27.23
OUR REPORT OUR TIPS OF THE WEEK:The lake closes to fishing from April 1 – third Saturday in May. Check the FWP fishing regulations for the best information on the…
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Statewide MT Fishing Report Compilation 5.2.23
Email us your weekly fishing report to include it in this Montana fishing report compilation before the end of the day on Tuesday of each week here along with your name and website/email address…
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2023 Spring Mack Days: Week 7 Update
As the temperatures are rising so does the 2023 Spring Mack Days lake trout fishing total. One hundred ninety-six out of five hundred ninety-one anglers have turned in a whooping…
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FWP: Helena area reservoirs fishing report for the week of 5.1.23
Canyon Ferry: The rainbow trout action continues to be great on the north end of the reservoir from shore as they are cruising the shorelines. Rainbows are being caught while using leech…
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Excited kiddo reeling in a big fish
It’s so awesome to see anybody’s reaction when they are reeling in big ones, but it is even cooler to see the youngsters out there reeling ’em in with huge…
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Fresno and Nelson Reservoirs Fishing Report by Brian Olson 4.28.23
Fresno is full of water. Surface temp mainly in the forties. The clarity is stained. There was some floating ice Tuesday morning but it later disappeared. Fishing for me on…
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Looking Back: Trophy Pike Caught in Local Lake
Do you remember this article about a whopper of a pike by the Seeley Swan Pathfinder? What a cool catch from a few years ago! Jimmy Zander of Potomac has…
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Paddlefish!
This is a sight to see when you’re after paddlefish! Check out this footage from May of last year:
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SW Montana Fishing Report via Montana Angler 4.25.23
As we start to see glimpses of spring, Montana fishing conditions can be as dynamic as the weather. Rivers can quickly rise and fall based on the temperatures. We have…
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