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Fort Peck and low water fishing
PWT pro from Ulm I have sure heard a lot about the low water levels on Fort Peck and concerns about how it will affect the fishing this year. I think back to when I first started fishing Fort Peck in the late 80's and early 90's. I believe the lowest the lake had been was an elevation of 2208.8 back in March of 1991. As I recall, the lake was the lowest it had been in years and it was reported that it would take seven years with normal precipitation to fill it back up - then it came up about 24 feet in one year. I guess that is why I like reservoir fishing - every year is different. With major changes in lake elevations and resulting changes in structure, it is a new challenge every year. I can remember having some very good walleye fishing back in those low water years. With the low water and changes since the high water years in the amount of shoreline vegetation, it is a whole "new" or should I say "old" game. If heading for Fort Peck this year, I would expect to find the fishing much more like it was in the late 80's. By this, I mean that I would expect the fish to be more nomadic and roam more than they did in the mid '90's. The reason for this is that we no longer have the flooded shoreline vegetation and flooded willows that used to provide cover for baitfish and keep walleyes in areas for extended periods of time. Generally, presentations that cover a lot of water like trolling spinners behind bottom bouncers or crankbaits will probably be more successful. That is, of course, unless you can find some weed beds where baitfish may hold up and keep some walleyes nearby. With the low water, the only real structure left is some points, humps, rocks, or maybe some cut banks. There are a lot of them, but not all will hold fish. Most of all of the flooded willows will be out of the water. What this does is causes less cover for baitfish and walleyes. With less cover for the baitfish, there is less spawning structure for perch and probably fewer perch. The walleyes there will adapt and probably relate more to the cisco like they did in the past. Once you find where the walleyes are, it could be very good fishing since they might be hungry and on the bite. The problem is that you probably won't find them in the same place the next day. That has always been true on Fort Peck to some extent, but I believe it will be more common than the last few years. So spend some time looking with your electronics to mark signs of life - baitfish or other fish before you spend a lot of time fishing. When you do decide to put a hook in the water, I would probably want to use something that will allow me to cover as much water as possible until I connect with some fish. If the water continues to drop this spring, I would expect to find fish deeper than I would normally fish. For some reason, walleyes seem to sense the dropping water and by instinct head for deeper water. If and when you can find some shallow fish, they may be easier to catch, but they probably won't stay put. This spring, I would consider some bottom bouncers with some type of spinner, smile blade, or live bait that I could pull fairly fast. Or, I would try a crankbait -- maybe with leaded line to get down with a smaller size crank to begin with, especially if I mark fish in the deeper (15-30 foot) of water. From a positive point of view, if there is less water, that means the fish that are there don't have quite as many places to be - unfortunately even low water on Fort Peck is probably more water than you could ever fish in a lifetime. Don't let it discourage you. The low water can definitely affect access to your favorite areas, so before you go check out the levels and what boat ramps are usable. Here are some key phone numbers: Rock Creek Marina, Phone: 406-485-2560 Fort Peck Marina, Phone: 406-526-3442 Hell Creek Marina, Phone: 406-557-2345 Or, go to the Walleyes Unlimited BOAT RAMPS AND LAKE LEVEL page. Good Luck Fishing. | |
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