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Anglers will find better fishing now in area rivers, streams and high
mountain lakes, while catch rates are slowing at lower elevation lakes due
to warm weather.
The temperature of surface waters at some valley bottom lakes is approaching
70°, according to fisheries biologist Scott Rumsey with the Montana
Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks in Kalispell. "That's a little
warmer than what fish prefer. They come up to the surface less frequently
now," he said.
Rumsey said that surveys conducted in the Swan Valley this summer showed
healthy populations of trout and kokanee at area lakes. However, earlier
this year anglers were frustrated by unusually high water which cleared
more slowly than normal.
At Swan Lake, kokanee salmon have been more difficult to catch. Typically,
kokanee fishing picks up after the lake stratefies, Rumsey explains, and
the fish "layer out" enabling anglers to find them. This year,
he said, the kokanee are more scattered throughout the lake.
The kokanee salmon population at Swan Lake is healthy, and the fish are
reproducing naturally there. "We're seeing a small percentage of the
kokanee population get pretty large," Rumsey said. Ten percent of the
adults measure in excess of 20 inches, while the standard population (mostly
three-year-old fish) averages 10 to 11 inches in length.
Northern pike also reproduce naturally in Swan Lake, and anglers are finding
some lunkers in the 20-pound class. Best fishing for pike is usually during
June and July.
FWP personnel stock cutthroat trout at Swan Lake and other area lakes annually.
Cutthroat numbers have steadily decreased in the Swan River as a result
of competition with rainbow and brook trout. Stocking cutthroat in the lakes
rather than rivers has been successful, Rumsey said. This year, 25,000 four-to-six
inch cutthroat were released in Swan Lake.
Swan Lake is also home to bull trout-and it's the only lake open to fishing
for bull trout. Anglers should read the regulations carefully. They are
allowed one bull trout daily and in possession in the lake only. The Swan
River is closed to fishing for bull trout. New wording on the fishing regulations
states that rivers and streams in the Swan are "closed to the taking
and or intentional fishing for bull trout."
What is 'intentional fishing'? "People bait fishing with large hooks,
plug fishing with large plugs-things that are more inclined to catching
bull trout," Rumsey said, adding that there is some crossover, but
game wardens will ticket anglers who appear to be fishing for bull trout
in closed waters. "If you're using a four-inch plug, you're probably
fishing for bull trout."
FWP also stocks cutthroat trout and kokanee at Lindbergh Lake and Holland
Lake in the Swan Valley. Perch can also be found at Holland Lake. FWP received
an uncomfirmed report of northern pike being caught at Holland, also. Pike
were illegally introduced to Swan Lake many years ago, and according to
Rumsey, there's nothing to stop the fish from traveling upriver, though
they aren't, by nature, a river fish. Pike prefer quiet waters.
Biologists warn sportsmen that "bucket biology" (illegally introducing
fish into area waters) can cause huge problems for native trout populations
and will eventually lead to reduced fishing opportunities for anglers.
FWP also releases rainbow trout in several closed basin lakes (Van, Shay,
Metcalf, and "the potholes") in the Swan Valley near Condon. (Closed
basin lakes are mainly spring-fed and have no inlet or outlet.) Van Lake
gets "lots of fish" annually, Rumsey explained. "It's basically
managed as a put and take, high yield fishery," he said. The lake receives
4,000 rainbow trout per year, along with large, surplus brood stock from
the Arlee fish hatchery when they are available. Netting this spring showed
pretty good numbers of fish at Van Lake, Rumsey said.
Shay Lake is also doing well, along with Metcalf Lake. However, since Metcalf
Lake is managed as a trophy fishery and stocked with rainbow trout, special
regulations apply. Anglers are allowed only one fish over 22-inches long
per day. "That lake is patrolled regularly," he said, and violators
will be ticketed.
Special regulations also apply to the Swan River, where fishing is quite
good right now, since the water has cleared, Rumsey said. Catch and release
rules for cutthroat trout are in effect downstream from Piper Creek. The
purpose of the catch-and-release regulations is to help biologists understand
whether or not they help protect trout populations. "We like to address
whether or not regulations are working," Rumsey said. "We don't
want to have a regulation that's not doing what it's intended to do."
Biologists survey alternate sections of the river annually, and compare
fish populations in catch-and-release sections versus open waters. "It's
interesting, but catch and release is not applicable everywhere. Other things
affect fish populations, such as winter habitat and weather conditions,"
he said.
The Swan River and its tributaries are also home to healthy populations
of brook trout. In some sections of the river, brook trout grow quite large.
However, access to the river is difficult, in many areas. "Ambitious
anglers might be rewarded though," Rumsey encouraged. Fishing is good
right now in small creeks and streams. Fly fishermen will be rewarded during
early morning and evening hours.
Many high mountain lakes throughout the Swan Valley are stocked with native
cutthroat, and fishing in those areas "should be good" through
July and August, Rumsey said. However, he was quick to point out that access
may be difficult due to the above-average blowdown. Main trails in the Mission
Mountains Wilderness west of Condon have been cleared, but hikers are still
warned to expect heavy blowdown around lakes and in less-traveled areas.
Water levels at stream crossings may also be unseasonably high, due to last
winter's heavy snowpack.