Author Topic: Lake Inez (Read 7094 times)

Stick Em · « **on:** Dec 04, 2009, 06:15 PM »

Hit lake Inez today with DB Cooper. 5-6" good clear ice. Perch were biting but not much size to them. Took home a handful. One nice 20" bull and a couple decent cutthroats that we released.

DB Cooper · « **Reply #1 on:** Dec 04, 2009, 07:02 PM »

Be back up in a few days. heard browns has ice.

Mt.Bucket · « **Reply #2 on:** Dec 04, 2009, 09:07 PM »

Talked to a fella that drives by salmon every day he says Salmon is probably fishable.

Stick Em · « **Reply #3 on:** Dec 05, 2009, 09:29 AM »

Salmon is right near my house, I'd give it a couple days. It is close though. Placid still has LOTS of open water, as does Seeley.

thomas · « **Reply #4 on:** Dec 05, 2009, 10:51 AM »

Salmon has ice. People fishing all the way in the middle near the inlet yesterday.

montanafishingr · « **Reply #5 on:** Dec 05, 2009, 12:53 PM »

Yes Salmon is fishable.

jimmerjammer · « **Reply #6 on:** Dec 10, 2009, 08:05 PM »

hit up Inez to kill an afternoon, My first time up the clearwater chain. fished out from the boat ramp and caught quite a few dinks in shallow from 5-15 feet. No fish even close enough to keeper sized, or worth coming back for. A guy walking with his dog on the lake said that the pike have really killed off the perch in the chain of lakes, and was surprised that i was even catching any perch at all. He also said the cutthroats have really came back and bull trout too. Which lake in this chain has the best perch fishing? i could really care less about northerns (snakes), but I like cuttys, and i have never caught a bull trout... so that would be cool. How is the fishin on salmon? saw a few guys out there, but they were all gone on my way back through.

montanafishingr · « **Reply #7 on:** Dec 10, 2009, 11:15 PM »

Gotta love the resident wanna be biologists around here. Inez has some great perch fishing. In fact I would not be surprised if the next state record comes out of that lake. You need to fish deep for them there though. 40' seems to be a good depth. Thats where we hit them late last year, that is unless them good ol hungry pike ate them all. LOL Sorry it just cracks me up the comments I hear about Pike around here ruining the fishing. Just because they were introduced illegally dont mean they are the most evil fish on the planet. Most of these lakes have adjusted just fine. I have caught some of the my largest Bull trout in years in the same waters inhabited by these same pike. Salmon lake is the same way. Great Brown trout fishing by the inlet, move down 20 to 50 yards and maybe the best pike hole on the lake. Lots of perch also. I do wish people would fish more for the pike though so we could keep the population under control and grow some bigger ones since they are obviously here to stay. They taste almost as good as perch once you fillet them and get rid of the bones.

doublehaul · « **Reply #8 on:** Dec 11, 2009, 09:19 AM »

If our biologists would like more people to target pike in western MT they need to change the rules about live bait use and allow 6 lines per person.

If I could only use 2 lines on Fort Peck during ice season I'd just as well stay home.

MTviking · « **Reply #9 on:** Dec 11, 2009, 10:04 AM »

Hey Doublehaul,
Nice to see you here. I totally agree with you on the line limit.

I lived in Missoula for 6 years prior to moving back to my home town of Billings. If you are looking for big perch in the clearwater chain, hit Placid lake. I caught a 14" perch out of there as well as dozens over 12" and hundreds over 10". Also cutts, bows, kokanee, bulls, pumpkin seed sunfish, largemouth bass, squawfish, whitefish. But no Pike. I love fishing that lake and always wished there were pike in it. I believe it is the only lake in the area that doesn't have pike.

Pike don't have "much" effect on the Perch population. If you don't believe me go check out Lake Upsata, it is one of the better lakes up there to catch some nice northerns but it is chocked full of overpopulated stunted perch. I've went up there and caught over a 100 easily in a day with only a handfull big enough to even consider filleting. The rest I would just leave on the ice for the birds to find. The biggest problem up there in general, the lakes are very sterile so the forage base cannot support a large poulation of fish unless those fish remain small.

doublehaul · « **Reply #10 on:** Dec 11, 2009, 10:16 AM »

I didn't know upsata has pike....Any size to them? I also lived in Missoula for 6 years of my life.

MTviking · « **Reply #11 on:** Dec 11, 2009, 01:54 PM »

Quote from: doublehaul on Dec 11, 2009, 10:16 AM

I didn't know upsata has pike....Any size to them? I also lived in Missoula for 6 years of my life.

Yeah lots of pike, I had my best luck using a live perch on a tip-up. I know it isn't legal but I put common sense before the law.

If anybody cares, here's my rational: They want to get rid of the pike- Live bait is illegal in many waters because of the concern of live bait escaping and forming a new population of unwanted species. Well the perch I used for bait were caught on location. So no harm, no foul in my opinion. If any FWP officer were to catch me in the act I would hope for some officer discretion.

gadgetman · « **Reply #12 on:** Jan 31, 2010, 08:05 AM »

Quote from: montanafishingr on Dec 10, 2009, 11:15 PM

Gotta love the resident wanna be biologists around here. Inez has some great perch fishing. In fact I would not be surprised if the next state record comes out of that lake. You need to fish deep for them there though. 40' seems to be a good depth. Thats where we hit them late last year, that is unless them good ol hungry pike ate them all. LOL Sorry it just cracks me up the comments I hear about Pike around here ruining the fishing. Just because they were introduced illegally dont mean they are the most evil fish on the planet. Most of these lakes have adjusted just fine. I have caught some of the my largest Bull trout in years in the same waters inhabited by these same pike. Salmon lake is the same way. Great Brown trout fishing by the inlet, move down 20 to 50 yards and maybe the best pike hole on the lake. Lots of perch also. I do wish people would fish more for the pike though so we could keep the population under control and grow some bigger ones since they are obviously here to stay. They taste almost as good as perch once you fillet them and get rid of the bones.

Where about on the lake were you catching them at 40 feet?

fishin247 · « **Reply #13 on:** Feb 05, 2010, 04:23 PM »

You know from someone that's fished seeley for the last 32 years, they've had an impact on the fish. As a kid I could catch 50 perch off our dock in a half hour. Can't do that anymore. Used to be bass nesting under the dock every year. Not anymore. Used to be a bass tournament on seeley. Not anymore. Used to be you could catch a limit of good size trout and salmon in about an hour and a half. Ask anyone that lives or spends a good amount of time up there and they'll tell you that the pike have effected the fishing.

RobG · « **Reply #14 on:** Feb 06, 2010, 01:09 AM »

Quote from: fishin247 on Feb 05, 2010, 04:23 PM

You know from someone that's fished seeley for the last 32 years, they've had an impact on the fish. As a kid I could catch 50 perch off our dock in a half hour. Can't do that anymore. Used to be bass nesting under the dock every year. Not anymore. Used to be a bass tournament on seeley. Not anymore. Used to be you could catch a limit of good size trout and salmon in about an hour and a half. Ask anyone that lives or spends a good amount of time up there and they'll tell you that the pike have effected the fishing.

Once again I agree with you. I lived on Swan when the pike started showing up. It is a changed lake now. Better/worse is just opinion, but it has changed a lot.

gadgetman · « **Reply #15 on:** Feb 07, 2010, 08:10 AM »

Fished Inez yesterday and did alright. Fishing was slower than usual but we caught two nice perch.One was 1 lb. and the other .8 lb. Kept a few other keepers with these also. Caught about a 4lb. bulltrout on a tip-up that we of course released but no pike. Fished in about 15 fow on the north end. Was going to explore some deeper water for bigger perch but its hard to leave water you know! Anybody else on this website that has been fishing here? Would like to hear how your doing.

Nerka · « **Reply #16 on:** Feb 07, 2010, 10:23 AM »

Fished the north end on sat as well. hey gadgetman, I must have said hello to you and your daughter on the way to my spot. Lots of mini perch but a couple keepers in the mix. Not much for food in their bellies, but full of eggs and milt. Does this mean they're positioning to spawn, or is that time of year still a ways off?

slyfishy · « **Reply #17 on:** Feb 07, 2010, 10:48 AM »

Hey Nerka, yes they are getting pretty ripe and setting up for pre-spawn that is why there are so full of eggs and milt. Usually they spawn in April or May and it is totally temperature dependent 45-50 degrees F. I fish Rainy Lake on Friday and the same thing is happening on that lake too. All the fish we kept were near maturity. Was a fun outing and glad you got into some over on Inez.

all4elk · « **Reply #18 on:** Feb 07, 2010, 04:09 PM »

was up there saturday as well. A lot of little ones . one pumkinseed and one whitefish.had one flag go off think it was a trout bumping it .tried a few different spots but not much going on.but it was a good day still.

gadgetman · « **Reply #19 on:** Feb 07, 2010, 10:49 PM »

Quote from: Nerka on Feb 07, 2010, 10:23 AM

Fished the north end on sat as well. hey gadgetman, I must have said hello to you and your daughter on the way to my spot. Lots of mini perch but a couple keepers in the mix. Not much for food in their bellies, but full of eggs and milt. Does this mean they're positioning to spawn, or is that time of year still a ways off?

Hello Nerka. That was my daughter and I that you spoke too. It sounds like all4elk was there also.He must have been with the two ATVs to the south of us. It's kind of neat bumping into some of the people who are on this website also. The perch fishing should just get better as we get closer to spring.See you on the ice!

all4elk · « **Reply #20 on:** Feb 07, 2010, 11:01 PM »

ya that was me on the atv. that was the first time ever ice fished there. just might have to try it again.
gadget man you have one good fishing partner there she held out longer then mine did.

gadgetman · « **Reply #21 on:** Feb 08, 2010, 08:00 AM »

Quote from: all4elk on Feb 07, 2010, 11:01 PM

ya that was me on the atv. that was the first time ever ice fished there. just might have to try it again.
gadget man you have one good fishing partner there she held out longer then mine did.

Yes I have to agree with you.She is a pretty good fishing buddy! I have been bringing her along since she was about 3 years old and she absolutely loves it. She is getting to be a pretty good fisherman and outfishes me about half the time!

Nerka · « **Reply #22 on:** Feb 08, 2010, 08:43 PM »

good running into you guys--good luck fishing--see you all on the ice.

gadgetman · « **Reply #23 on:** Feb 21, 2010, 07:32 PM »

We fished Inez yesterday for a couple of hours just to kill the rest of the day on our way back from Swan lake.On the way down to the lake we found a nice tan colored parka along the trail. If anybody is missing it, let me know so I can get it back to you.

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Author Topic: Lake Inez (Read 7094 times)