Tiber...!?

[Pastor B]

Just spent ALL day Tiber (5:30a.m. to 6pm), and I am stumped!

First:
Set tip-ups between 5-18 FOW throughout the day with some pretty lively minnows (nothing big enough to pop a flag) and some rather large dead smelt.  We got 20-30 flags pop with only one hammer handle to show for it!  When the flag went up we would make our way over and the line would be taken WAY out with nothing but the bait on the end of the hook...We had half with single hooks and the other half with trebles, and could not figure out what was going on.   I have had my share of missed fish on popped flags, but never this bad!

Second:
We went all over Bootlegger bay, anywhere from 12 FOW all the way out to 50 FOW.  We tried almost every lure made...We tipped with minnows, minnow heads, maggots (red and white), meal worms, chicken, nestle crunch bar, unicorn tears, and maybe other things too!  All we caught were two dinky perch, had one toothy fish break off, and snagged two minnows!
Showed some fish on the flasher, but most of the time they were little schools of minnows that would take our maggots, and tap our bait to make us think we had a bite, but nothing there.  The other times they would come in and look but quickly retreat.  It did not seem to matter if we were dead sticking, lightly jigging, heavy jig, or any combo of those.

Help!  It is now my mission to find fish on the ice at Tiber!  Any and all advice welcome and apparently needed!

Thanks

[MTangler]

All I can say is you win some and you lose some    It doesn't matter where you go, you are bound to have a few days a year with tough fishing. I know I have had more than my share! You will get em next time I just know it.

MTA

[J_Edwards]

Full moon, stinks.
High pressure, stinks.
Tiber on ice, can stink, hah. Most of the areas I've had success are are only accessible by atv or sled and it's probably a little early to venture to them.

[rambo51]

We have had days like that and the perch are pretty aggressive that might have been your problem. The schools of minnows could have been ciscoes. If I was you I would give up on Tiber haha just kidding Every time we have been on Tiber we set out tip ups and almost every time we end moving them to where the fished seemed to be. How big of minnows were you using? Where they suckers or shiners?

[PJB_Montana]

Dang those perch! Gave us hell on my trip there last year as well. It took us half of the day to figure it out. Eventually we just started working the edges of the main channel. Granted the ice was a foot thick but we'd set up a few tip ups in 12-18' and some from 22-30' , depth obviously depending on where you're at on the reservoir. Caught some Lakers and nice eating sized pike  6-9 lbs. I'd like to head back soon!

[Pastor B]

thanks for the advice guys!

Rambo...they were suckers

[Kevinski406]

Went out at (i think it's called Ray's Bay?) on Saturday 12/23/13. Caught four nice 4lb Northerns and 4 dink perch. Missed 2-3 others on the tip-ups. ice was approx 10-12" with about 3-6" of snow on top. Pike were hitting on the 16' FOW tip-ups the most. 2 flags out in the 24' FOW tip-ups. We were using frozen smelt that I dyed Red with food coloring.

Anyone know where I can find a map with the names of all the areas of Lake Elwell? That way i know where the heck things are at instead of trying to geographically explain it...
Would be much appreciated!

[Kevinski406]

anyone know if the ice is still up at Tiber? Or did it all blow away? Thickness? Condition?

[bobby1772]

gonna follow this one

[hayd243]

Headin up there in Feb. I would also like to know about any maps that might be available and where would be the best place to pick one up.

[whiptail]

Call Snappy's in Kalispell ask for Bathometric  Maps ot Tiber they can send you one. Ask for Trista or Wendy in customer service. 

[hayd243]

Thanks whiptail, gonna probably be up that way in a couple weeks, and I'll check it out.

[MontanaMike]

Kevinski406, I was up on willow creek arm last saturday and there was 14-16" but that warm wind was wreaking havoc, water pooling up all over

[Kevinski406]

Sounds like someone went through the ice on their side-by-side yesterday over by Ray's Bay.

Just a heads up.

[hagfan72]

Where is Ray's Bay, for those of us who don't know?
 

[spear1]

By the marina..went through in 4 foot of water but it tipped on its side an submerged the whole thing..

[Kevinski406]

Ray's Bay had 12"-16" of ice where we were on 1/18/14. Plenty of ice and sun, barely a breeze that day too.

Bite was a bit slow. 5 northern (kept 4), 6 perch (all too small), and 3 tiny whitefish. Ice is holding up well.

[badlandspc]

Headin up there in Feb. I would also like to know about any maps that might be available and where would be the best place to pick one up.

Blend's Copy Shop, Inc. 509 1st Avenue North. Great Falls, MT 59401. Phone 406-454-3466 or toll free 800-992-7733 has some huge topo/bathometric maps of Tiber and they can laminate them for you.

[Fishingbudd]

Dang those perch! Gave us hell on my trip there last year as well. It took us half of the day to figure it out. Eventually we just started working the edges of the main channel. Granted the ice was a foot thick but we'd set up a few tip ups in 12-18' and some from 22-30' , depth obviously depending on where you're at on the reservoir. Caught some Lakers and nice eating sized pike  6-9 lbs. I'd like to head back soon!

What part of the lake were you on? by bootleggers?