Spring is here! Well, sort of.

One day last week we had 65 degrees and bright sunlight. What a great day to test my new boat. Two days later it was snowing and blowing. Welcome to springtime in Montana.

This is the season when the outdoors-minded person has many choices. Should you go turkey hunting, bear hunting, gopher shooting, lake fishing or stream fishing?

Spring turkey season for gobblers (males) opened Saturday. Spring black bear season opened Tuesday. Gopher shooting is open year-round. All you need in the spring is a warm sunny day to bring the little rascals out of their burrows. All the lower elevation lakes are ice-free so boat fishermen can uncover their boats and go lake fishing. Our larger rivers are mostly open all year for stream fishing. Smaller rivers and creeks won’t open for fishing until May 19.

While the seasons mentioned in the previous paragraph are “generally” true, you should never go fishing without checking the 2014 Montana fishing regulations for the seasons and bag limits for the particular water you plan to fish. Many lakes and streams have special regulations. There are also different seasons for different fish species in the same lake or stream.  

As a matter of practice, I have a copy of the fishing regulations in my truck, another copy in my tackle box, another copy at home and another copy at my cabin. Once you become acquainted with the regulation book, you can look up the specific regulations for any body of water in a minute or two.

If you want to take a large black bear this spring, you need to be patient. Local taxidermists tell me most trophy bears are taken the last few days of the six-week spring bear season. Big males tend to hibernate longer and emerge later.

Spring Mack Days continues on Flathead Lake, so that is a good choice for the fun of catching lots of smaller lake trout and an occasional trophy fish.  

Another good spring fishing choice involves some of the sloughs along the Flathead River. Most are open all year. They provide a smorgasbord of fish species ranging from trout to northern pike. A sleeper lake is Tally Lake that has some gigantic lake trout. It is lightly fished. It is the deepest lake in Montana and has a very irregular bottom, so it is tough to keep your lure on the bottom. You need to be ready to lose some expensive lures. These tough fishing conditions discourage some fishermen but allow the lake trout to grow old and big.

One lake I’ve never fished is Lake McDonald in Glacier. It has some good-sized lakers and is lightly fished. The scenery is so spectacular that catching fish becomes secondary. If you plan to fish Lake McDonald, call the park in advance to schedule a boat inspection. All boats must be inspected to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.

As for me, perhaps I’ll try a mixed bag of activities. A little turkey hunting in the morning, then some fishing as the day warms. It’s hard to beat a day with both hunting and fishing. Have fun in the great Montana outdoors!