Last year posed some challenges to being an active sportsman in Montana. For most of the year, the gas and diesel prices were at all-time highs, which made getting to and from your outdoor recreation spot a little more expensive.
The good news right now is that it doesn’t take two credit cards to fill your pickup truck. The price of getting to your destination hasn’t been this low for a long time. Let’s hope it stays that way for the coming year.
Ice fishermen are also out with their augers drilling holes in lakes around western Montana. If you want to try your luck in an ice-fishing derby this Saturday, head for Smith Lake for the Perch Assault. Call Mike Howe at (406) 249-0556.
Another fun derby that you should put on your calendar is a little closer to Missoula. It’s the Pike on Ice derby, which will take place on Salmon and Seeley lakes Jan. 17-18. Toby Bedard has done a good job of building the popularity of this derby and, whether your method is spearing or using tip-ups, you have a good chance of winning some cash and prizes. Bedard can be reached at (406) 370-8396.
Some other lakes that are a good bet for ice anglers might be Browns Lake up by Ovando for trout, Lake Mary Ronan for perch and salmon and, of course, Georgetown Lake for trout and salmon.
If you want to take advantage of the low fuel prices, then head over to Fort Peck Reservoir’s Hell Creek area, which is 25 miles north of Jordan. Tiffany Thomas and her brother Layne caught a couple of really nice walleyes over Christmas Eve and Day. Layne caught a 28.5-inch walleye that weighed 8.1 pounds on Christmas Eve; his sister outdid him the next day with a monster 12.7-pound walleye that measured 32 inches. You can view those two fish and the bundled-up ice anglers at www.montanaoutdoor.com.
Still looking for a New Year’s resolution? Well, the Missoula Trap and Skeet Club will host a National Rifle Association shotgun coach’s school the weekend of Jan. 10-11. Successful graduates will receive NRA level 1 coach credentials. NRA national coach trainer Paul McGinnis will conduct the class. The cost is $135. You must preregister. To find out more, call Steve Sautter at (406) 543-7432.
Have a safe and happy new year!
Mark Ward’s statewide Montana Outdoor Radio Show airs Saturdays from 6-8 a.m. in Missoula on KGVO 1290 AM. E-mail Ward at captain@montanaoutdoor.com.
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