Pursuing perch
Bob Poore watches his bobbers intently at Smith Lake on Wednesday. He was waiting for a fish to nibble on his maggot-baited jig. Dave Reese/Special to the Inter Lake
Angler likes 'the peace and quiet and fresh air'
Growing up north of Cut Bank along Montana's Hi-Line, Bob Poore knows about cold. And wind.
That's why the cold, westerly breeze pouring off Haskill Mountain down on Smith Lake Wednesday didn't seem to bother him. Wearing a baseball cap, overalls and no gloves, Poore sat on a bucket on the ice and worked his delicate three-pound test line through two holes in the lake's frozen surface. He waited for a perch or pike to nibble at his bait, which dangled about a foot off the bottom in 6 feet of water.
Even the slightest movement of his smiley-faced yellow bobber drew his attention, and when it signaled a hit, he lifted the fish out of the hole and onto the ice.
Ice fishing, other than in tournaments, is mainly a solitary affair.
Poore shared the ice at Smith Lake on Wednesday with only two other fishermen, one of whom ambled up to Poore, dragging his ice auger and looking for tips.
"Havin' any luck?" the angler asked Poore.
"Oh, I'm catchin' a few," Poore replied, in classic angler-ese.
Guenter Heinz, a fisherman from Eureka, says he can spend hours staring down into his ice hole, watching the watery world below. "It's better than watching TV," he said.
Poore has been ice-fishing the shallow Smith Lake for 35 years after moving to Kalispell from the tiny town of Kevin, Mont. "I've just always ice-fished," he said. "I like the peace and quiet and the fresh air."
He prefers the solitude of ice fishing to fishing in the summer. "My fishing buddy was supposed to be here today, but he had some things to do," said Poore, a mechanic who retired from Buffalo Hill Golf Club in Kalispell.
While some anglers opt for high-tech collapsible ice houses and four-wheelers to carry their gear, Poore uses a simple plastic sled, laden only with the basics: a strainer to filter out ice from the hole, two buckets to sit on (and to fill with fish), and a collapsible lawn chair in case anybody else shows up.
His most-modern gadgets are a gas-powered ice auger and two new bait-cast fishing reels on old-fashioned rods.
He uses baited lead-head jigs worked about a foot off the bottom.
As the blue sky turned gray on Wednesday and snow began to fall lightly, Poore maintained his concentration on the two holes in the ice in front of him.
His cold-weather jacket lay in a bundle in his sled, and he seemed unfazed by anything called "wind chill."
"If it's cold, I just put on more clothes," he said. The chatter of Canada geese drifted from the brown reeds on the shoreline nearby as Poore slipped another brightly colored perch into the bucket, where it would join about half a dozen others writhing in a black plastic bag.
"Just another little one," he said.
Small as the fish may be, Poore knows how to finesse the tiny strips of white, tasty meat away from the bony yellow perch.
These would be dinner tonight for Poore and his wife. "Depends on what she's got cooking, but I'll fillet them," he said. "I use an electric knife."
According to Chancy Jeschke at Snappy's fishing department, many of the local lakes are still producing good fishing, although ice is starting to deteriorate.
The state-record yellow perch was caught two weeks ago in lower Stillwater Lake. Josh Emmert broke Vernon Schmid's long-standing state record with a 2.39-pound perch, beating Schmid's record by only .07 pounds. Schmid's record, caught in Ashley Lake, had stood since 1988.
Other local lakes:
Whitefish Lake - With about five inches of ice left, it's been one of the most productive lakes recently for mackinaw, Jeschke said. "The ice is probably getting iffy," he said.
Bitterroot Lake - Anglers are doing well on kokanee salmon at the south end of the lake, in 80 to 250 feet of water.
Lake Mary Ronan - Perch fishing has been good, with fish averaging more than nine inches and up to 1 1/2 pounds.
Middle Thompson Lake - This lake west of Kalispell is putting out salmon in 60 feet of water, as well as some good perch, Jeschke said.
Flathead Lake - Leave your ice auger at home. There's no ice. But boat anglers are enjoying one of the best times of year to fish Flathead Lake. Best spots are at the river delta and at Painted Rocks.