Flathead area fishing report from McMahon 9.4.23

Hunters:

City Docks will not have a Trout Lake for a month. The sausage settings will not work until then. Fish with perch or Wana B straight from the docks without casting them.
The good kokanee and whitefish fishing is coming to an end but other fish are becoming more active.

My fishing partner, Jim Raines, and I were out yesterday, September 2, just west of North Point, exiting Big Arm’s Robot Landing where I caught over 40 keeper fish and one small keeper.

Our Wana B setup with an inline hook baited with perch meat was deadly. Other places where the perch appear to be a little larger than most of the lake are south and west of Dream Island and in front of the rock hazard at the east end of the Narrows. 34 feet is the magic depth in these three places.

Perch fishing continues as well as the occasional rainbow catch at Lake Mary Ronan. As water temperatures drop, fishing should improve.

The eastern bay of Polson Bay should have more action for perch, smallmouth and pike. The waters below the Armed Forces Memorial Bridge and especially around and below the Dog Park area have been productive for perch, smallmouth and baitfish. Bait fish are especially active here before dark.

One of the best ways to target large critters in the river is to drop the bait downstream and let it drift under the boat.

Among the local tanks, Pablo was the most famous. Low water levels have concentrated bass, crappie and perch there. If they fill them up, it will likely impact ice fishing in a negative way.
The Mack Day tournament begins on September 14th.

Early on, the best fishing is often deep but as the spawning season approaches, they start moving anywhere from 120 to 180 feet. Rocky Point, Black Point, Bird Island, White Swan Point and the east side of Wild Horse Island are all places south of The impoundment line is where they launch and eventually spawn.

On the other side of the line, the painted rock areas of Douglas Island hold spawning fish. They will bite.

The forecast calls for a wet, early and cool fall and early winter. Hopefully that means ice.

The three bodies of water are usually the first to snow; East Bay, Turtle Lake and Crow Reservoir. If you hit them right, they can be a great catch. For more detailed information, call me on my personal cell phone which is 406-250-0241 or call Zimmer Tackle at 406-675-0068.

Good catch
Macman

www.zimmertackle.com

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