New Fishing Licenses go on sale Feb 19th. The new season starts March 1st. Your Existing fishing license will still be valid through Feb 28th.

Blanchard Lake
Lots of snow and ice. Perch bite has been decent in the early mornings. The Crappie have been biting in lake afternoons. Try using Pete’s Sassy Stingers with wax worms.
 
Church Slough
Ice is getting thicker and the Crappie are starting to show up. Early morning or evenings are best. Try using Glow Demon Jigs. Reports of Pike that are suspended 4ft below the ice.

During this one hour introductory class, we will cover:

• The four Universal Firearms Safety Rules
• Basic handgun nomenclature
• Basics of safe gun handling and storage of firearms/ammunition in the home.

​This past week has brought colder weather to build ice around the region. Although the temps are low, be sure to ALWAYS check for safe ice yourself & use caution on bigger bodies of water.

** Tip of the Week **
To catch a few bigger Perch, be on the move. Make small moves and find the outside of the school. Use heavier lures to get down thru the smaller perch.
 
Blanchard Lake
8” of ice and some slush in spots. Be ready to drill holes to stay ahead of Perch and Crappie. Be sure to check regulations for Pike slot Limit.

Ashley Lake
Around 5” of ice and slush on top. Salmon fishing has been good off the access. Try using a pink Hali or Swedish Pimple with a Rat Finke dropper.
 
Bitterroot Lake
Main body is still unsafe but reports of 6” of ice on the North end with slush on top. A few smaller Salmon being caught in 25’ of water. A pink Hali works well. There have been a few Perch using Pete’s Jaw Breaker and Mighty Mites.
 
Blanchard Lake
8” of ice and slush. A few people are getting into larger Crappie and Perch. Use a glow green Demon Jig for the suspended Crappie. Perch are hitting on Hali jigs as well as Pink Ratso’s. Look for weed beds around 14’.

​Smith Lake
10” of ice. Lots of Pike using orange jigs with black twister tails. Perch can be tricky so use Finesse Plastics. Be sure and watch your limits!
 
Blanchard Lake
6” of ice and slush. For Crappie, keep searching in areas near weed beds or deeper structure. Glow hooks work well. Pike have been caught using tip-ups in 6-12’.
 
Beaver Lake
Good Salmon fishing on 6” of ice and slush. The road in is still accessible. A few decent Rainbows being reported.

Ice fishing is a great winter activity that the entire family can enjoy.  Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks reminds anglers that safety should be the number one concern during a day out on the ice. 

​Anglers should be familiar with the water body they plan to fish.  The safest ice anglers are those who pay as much attention to the changing conditions of the ice as they do to the fishing conditions.

​Blanchard Lake
Good ice, around 6”. Nice Perch and Crappie in the 13-18” range. Demon Jigs work well with maggots. Reports of a few decent Pike.
 
Beaver Lake
5” of solid ice. Decent numbers of Salmon using pink Swedish Pimps and Rat Finke Droppers. A few decent Rainbows using Clam Leech Spoons.
 
Stillwater Lake
8-0” of solid black ice. For Perch try and find openings in weed beds. Use Pete’s Mighty Mites for larger Perch. For Pike use smelt under a tip-up or a Dare Devil Spoon and jig aggressively.

Smith Lake
8-10” of ice. Lots of Pike and a few decent Perch reports.

Blanchard Lake
About 5” of ice & slush. A few nice Perch and smaller Crappie. Reports of a few Pike thrown in as well.
​
Stillwater
8” of ice. Perch fishing is on and off. Some small Pike being caught with tip-ups.

​Smith Lake
6-8” of solid ice with lots of Pike being caught on just about anything. Decent Perch being caught using smaller jigs like Pete’s Slab Slayers.

​Blanchard Lake
4-6” of ice in spots, so BE CAREFUL. Some Crappie, Perch and Pike being landed. Early AM & PM using glow hooks like Demon Jigs for the Crappie.