BY CHRIS MADSEN

Another year in review:

With 2008 behind us and 2009 looming on the horizon, it’s time to make the annual New Year’s Resolution. This year I suggest making it one you might keep: to get out and fish more this year. On that note, you will be pleased to hear that the ice fishing season is in full swing, and it looks like a banner year. The belated cold weather of December has given us good, safe ice on nearly all area fisheries, and as usual the early bite has been excellent. As is typical of the early ice season, fish are still feeding heavily, although we expect the bite to steadily slow down as the oxygen levels beneath the ice drop, and fish become more lethargic. One trick to extending your peak season is to fish lower elevation lakes later in the winter, as later and usually thinner ice may extend the window of aggressively feeding fish, perhaps right through the entire season! Meanwhile, our flowing waters that have extended seasons on them are seeing typical winter fishing. When the weather warms enough that the rivers aren’t frozen bank to bank, anglers will find the ever present whitefish podded up in slower runs. The hearty trout-chasing fly rodder (catch and release, of course) can find good fishing during warmer periods of the day, and sometimes an occasional midge hatch will provide some excitement, although most success will be found drifting a tandem of nymphs. Whatever you’re preferred method might be, whether sitting on frozen water or standing in freezing water, you’ll have plenty of options.

Here is a rundown of local ice-fishing options.

GEORGETOWN LAKE: The early season on Georgetown has been a mix of good and fair. We finally had fishable ice in early December this year and while the trout fishing has been good the Kokanee fishing has been up and down. Early season at Georgetown usually finds fish located around the remaining weed beds, and traditionally good spots to try are Piney point, Rainbow Bay, Denton’s point or the Pump House area. There are lots of favorite lures at Georgetown, but Swedish Pimples, Rocker Jigs, Ratsos and Rat Finkees are good choices to try. Often, size and color will matter more than the specific jig, so carry some in pink, orange, green, white or glow, and tip them with maggots or mealworms for best success.

CLEARWATER LAKES: The Clearwater lakes chain offers a little bit of everything. If trout are your quarry, Alva and Rainy are good choices for nice cutthroats. A small Swedish Pimple or rocker jig with a maggot should keep you in business. Harper’s Lake is also a popular trout hole, it is regularly stocked with 4-10lb brood stock, and these fish provide excellent sport through the ice although they are not the best for eating. They may not be the prettiest trout you’ll ever see, but five pound trout will allow you to overlook some aesthetic deficiencies. If perch or pike are your quarry, try out Salmon or Seeley. Most anglers will set up a tip-up rigged with a smelt, and fish a second rod with jigging Rapala or larger Air plane jig for pike, or a Tear-drop jig and maggot for perch. Both of these are good bets for spearing pike as well, if that is your game.

BROWNS LAKE: What on earth would make a normally sane person spend all their waking hours staring through a hole on what might very well be the coldest, windiest slab of ice on the face of the earth? How about a five fish limit heavy enough to win the Bass Master Classic. These are trout we’re talking about, but you get the idea. Brown’s lake has more than it’s fair share of enormous trout, but they can also be notoriously difficult to catch, and I was only barely kidding about the wind. Most successful anglers will concentrate their efforts around the weed beds and points by the boat launch. Successful baits include Swedish Pimples, jigging Rapalas, and rocker jigs. Fishing a partial or whole night crawler or power bait on a tip-up or dead-stick rig is sometimes very productive as well. Try different combinations until you get it right.

Reservation Lakes: Just a short drive north of town there are numerous lakes that offer excellent opportunities for the ice fishing angler. Ninepipes, Kicking Horse, Pablo and Crow Reservoirs are a few of the waters with good fishing. Ninepipes probably has the best ice fishing for bass in our area; just make sure you wait until after waterfowl season to fish on this one. Winter probably gives one of the best chances for numerous bass in the five plus pound range. Jigging Kastmasters, Swedish Pimples or Jigging Raps are sure to get you some looks from these hard fighting predators. The pike in Crow can be caught with smelt on a tip-up or spoons tipped with cut-bait. Some of these reservoirs also have good populations of perch. Small Swedish Pimples or a basic teardrop jig are good bets and small Jigging Raps can be effective. Make sure you have them tipped with a maggot.

Area Rivers: For those out there who would prefer not to have to drill a hole to go fishing, never fear. Local rivers will still offer up some good fishing for trout and whitefish if conditions permit. Any time we see a few days of
above-freezing temperatures, grab your favorite nymphing stick and your neoprene waders and head out to the Clark Fork, Bitterroot or Rock Creek. Most any tandem of nymphs will suffice, but personal favorites include San Juan worms, glo bugs, Copper Johns and Lightning Bugs. Keep your drifts slow and tight to the bottom. If you aren’t too snooty a trout fanatic, whitefish pod up in slower runs and bite readily during the winter, and are dynamite in the smoker. What whitefish may lack in aesthetic beauty, they more than make up for smoked, and served with cheese and crackers. A number of nymphs will work but they seem to have an affinity for the color chartreuse and anything that sparkles. Most days the bite will last for an hour or two during the warmest part of the day, giving you plenty of time for that much needed second cup of coffee.

Have a safe and happy new year, and as I stated at the beginning, resolve to spend more time fishing this year.