Montana > Ice Fishing Montana
How do I Ice fish in Montana??
smoothice:
I moved here from a state where we use live bait (Tip-Ups with shinners minnors etc).
I live in the Helena area and I have tried to fish Hauser etc. I am just setting out my tip-ups with worms on them and keeping the bait about 5 feet off the botom.
I don't jig. I am not catching ANYTHING.
Anyone want to give some suggestions on how I should fish these lakes in the Helena area. I am getting frustrated. I like to fish with tip ups and am wondering how I can do that without using live bait like minnows. I know that the regs do not allow you to use live bait like minnows out here and it is getting frustrating.
If you can't put live bait like minnows on the hooks, what should I use?? Are worms a good option or not?
Thanks for any help you can offer.
Griztrax:
For starters, you will probably need to invest in some ice rods/reels or break out your spinning reels that you use during the summer. Tip-ups are ok, but for a lot of the fish around Helena, you need to do some jigging - even if just giving them a twitch every now and then. If you want to catch trout around Helena, try fishing 6-10 feet below the surface no matter how deep the water is. If you want perch or walleye, then fish just off the bottome a foot or so. Use ice jigs and experiment with color. We like to tip our jigs with maggots and prefer that over worms. Some guys use powerbait also and some Berkley products as well. I would recommend stopping down at Capital Sports and Western and talk to Bart in the fishing department - he's usually there in the evenings. he can get you pointed in the right direction as to what is working. Wharehouse Sports (the old Sportsmans Wharehouse) has the best selection of ice fishing gear in town. Keep experimenting and don't be afraid to talk to other fisherman while on the ice. Good luck. Oh and I saw your post about York bridge - I'm not sure that area is ever real safe for ice fishing - might want to try elsewhere.
Mr. iceman:
--- Quote from: smoothice on Jan 15, 2010, 12:58 PM ---I moved here from a state where we use live bait (Tip-Ups with shinners minnors etc).
I live in the Helena area and I have tried to fish Hauser etc. I am just setting out my tip-ups with worms on them and keeping the bait about 5 feet off the botom.
I don't jig. I am not catching ANYTHING.
Anyone want to give some suggestions on how I should fish these lakes in the Helena area. I am getting frustrated. I like to fish with tip ups and am wondering how I can do that without using live bait like minnows. I know that the regs do not allow you to use live bait like minnows out here and it is getting frustrating.
If you can't put live bait like minnows on the hooks, what should I use?? Are worms a good option or not?
Thanks for any help you can offer.
--- End quote ---
go get yourself some Swedish pimples, pearl color, tip it with worms, personally i dont even have to use bait with the pimple, if you give quick jerks it mimics a wounded bait fish and ive seen through the hole trout come out of nowhere and smack! it. really exciting, had a really nice fish hooked ate c.f. 01/02/10 on the pimple, fought for 30 sec or so, got'em to the hole and came off. very disappointing, but thats fishin good luck!!
smoothice:
Glad you told me about the York Bridge area. I really do not want to go in the water.
It looks good though about 10-20 feet right off the shore from the campground that is about 3/4 to 1 mile north of the bridge. Over where the houses start and next to the campground. I didnlt see anyone else out there though so I figues maybe the ice was not safe.
Thanks for the tips. I need as many as I can get. This is new kind of fishing for me and it is getting frustrating.
I am after trout mainly.
Riverb8:
I agree, get yourself a pole. It doesn't make sense to me to fish with just tip-ups in the central fishing district since you are only allowed two lines, but if you really like tip-ups you could still put one out. You could always head to the eastern district where some lakes allow live bait, plus you can have six lines.
You didn't mention whether or not you have a fish finder. Now that I have one, I don't know how I made it all those years without one.
Also, 99% of the people on the ice are more than happy to share information.
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