By MARK WARD for the Missoulian

Many a cabin fever-stricken lake and river angler gets a mid-winter fix when she or he heads out for a day on the ice.

Montana offers some very good ice fishing and most of the time, the toughest part is deciding where to go.

MARK WARD

Of course, every winter in Montana is different. This isn’t Minnesota, where the thermometer dips below freezing and stays there. Here, Old Man Winter sometimes makes good ice and sometimes he does a little thawing. As a result, anglers need to be cautious, especially early in the winter and again in spring in picking where to go.

There are really two kinds of methods of ice fishing which are separated by talking about most lakes west of the mountains and those east of the mountains.

Western Montana anglers are content to sit on a bucket or in a portable icehouse and jig. They, for the most part, are going after trout, perch or salmon. They use glow hooks tipped with either maggots or corn.

This year, look for a number of lakes both north and south of Missoula to be popular spots once again for anglers to fish through the ice. Last year, Bitterroot Lake, which is just west of Kalispell, was producing 16- to 18-inch kokanees. Flathead Lake ice fishing is best in the bays when there is ice.

The few boat anglers that brave Flathead for winter lake fishing can do well for lake trout. The water level goes down in the winter but you can still use the Blue Bay boat ramp to put your boat in the water. The east bay for perch ice fishing seems to be the best but don’t look for it to ice over until January.

Lake Mary Ronan is also a great lake to ice fish for perch and sometimes salmon. Crow Reservoir can also be good for trout and smallmouth bass. For current fishing and ice conditions on these lakes call Dick Zimmer at (406) 675-0068.

At least one 30 pound-plus northern pike has been caught the last couple of years from ice anglers fishing tip-ups with smelt on Salmon Lake.

Seeley Lake has produced pike, but the larger ones seem to be taken by anglers in spear huts. Trout anglers on Seeley Lake have done well when they plant jumbo trout that are spawned out from the local fish hatchery in Arlee. Your best bet would be to use a needlefish or weighted spoon, and if you can make it there when they dump them in the lake, you will have a ball. It takes about 30 minutes for the trout to acclimate after they hit the water but after that time hold on because the bite will be on.

FWP will dump brood stock trout in Harpers Lake, as well. I would recommend calling the Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks office to get the schedule for planting trout in those two lakes. I know the last two years, the plants have been in late December or early January.

East of Harpers Lake by Ovando, Browns Lake is good fishing for trout when the first ice goes on. Georgetown Lake is always a good bet for ice anglers. It ices up early and stays with good ice most of the winter. Anglers like to jig with glow hooks tipped with maggots. Small kokanees and pretty good size trout usually take advantage of their offerings through the ice.

East of the mountains, fishing can be different with some using jig rods and others using a spread of tip-ups.

If you want to ice fish with jigs, then I would recommend heading over to Canyon Ferry Lake or the Causeway on Hauser. Both lakes do a good job of producing perch for ice anglers. I would fish the south end by the Silos on Canyon Ferry Lake and I go anywhere up the Causeway on Hauser for perch.

You might also luck out and get into a good walleye bite when you’re fishing the Causeway on Hauser. Walleye fishing is more of a challenge on Canyon Ferry Lake, but some local anglers have had success when they hit it just right. The regulation reservoir next to Hauser Lake has also produced some good bites through the winter for kokanee salmon. For up-to-date information on ice fishing call Todd at Bob Wards in Helena.

Tip-up anglers can have their choice of fishing Lake Frances by Valier, Tiber Dam north of Great Falls, Nelson Reservoir east of Malta and, of course, Fort Peck Reservoir. All these lakes offer good northern pike, walleye and perch fishing.

If you want to catch ling, then Fort Peck Reservoir would be your best bet. If you want to catch a bunch of crappies, try Tongue River Reservoir. In all the lakes, with exception of Lake Frances, you can use live minnows. Plus all the lakes allow you to fish with six unattended set lines per angler, which usually translates to tip-ups.

A popular way to fish tip-ups is to set up a mile or two route scattering your groups’ tip-ups along the way. Anglers who ice fish this way put each line in a different depth of water at first then move most of their tip-ups to the depth that seems to be producing the best results. When the ice is good and thick, anglers check their lines with four-wheelers or snowmobiles.

As always, use extreme caution when you are ice fishing as ice conditions can change very quick.

If you have any tips or information on ice fishing through the winter, please e-mail me at captain@montanaoutdoor.com.

Mark Ward’s statewide Montana Outdoor Radio Show airs Saturdays from 6 to 8 a.m. in Missoula on KGVO 1290 AM. E-mail Ward at captain@montanaoutdoor.com.