Three Forks, MT
Three Forks, Montana is a small town that is located in Gallatin County, Montana. It is located within the watershed valley system of both the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers drainage basins. Nearby, you will find Missouri Headwaters State Park, which is where Lewis and Clark discovered the confluence of the Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin Rivers, which created the headwaters of the Missouri River. In this area, camping, hiking, fishing and floating are popular. Anglers have so many options for places to fish with all the water in this area. The fishing is very good for rainbow trout and brown trout with cutthroat trout available as well.
Craig, MT
Craig, Montana is located in southwest Montana near a bigger city called Great Falls, Montana. Many people will fly into Great Falls, Montana then head over to Craig, Montana for their vacation. In Craig, it is all about the fishing. The town is right on the Missouri River and it is one of the best places to fish on the Missouri River. From the town of Craig upriver to Holter Dam, anglers have access to an amazing tailwater fishery for rainbow trout and brown trout. Rainbow trout are here in much larger numbers, but there are plenty of brown trout to target as well. Quality fish are common with anglers routinely catching fish in the 16 to 20 inch range and bigger fish are possible.
Great Falls, MT
Great Falls is often thought of as a base camp for enjoying Montana’s outdoor adventures. It is a decent-sized city that is home to more than 60,000 people and it has an international airport. Some of the better fishing spots are 45 minutes to an hour away, however, there are some access points closer to town that will give you the opportunity to catch some fish. For some people, they would prefer to stay in a larger town for their vacation and just make the 45 minute to hour drive for their fishing adventure. If that sounds like you, Great Falls, Montana is a great place to start your next fishing adventure from.
The Missouri River offers very good fishing as you get to the town of Cascade, Montana and then you follow that all the way up to Holter Dam. The tailwater fishery is amazing below the dam. The Missouri River is an awesome river to fish for rainbow trout with large numbers of them and good-sized fish in the 15 to 20 inch range being common. There is also a good fishery for brown trout in the river as well. If you want to stay closer to the town of Great Falls, Montana, there are some places to catch some fish around town. Giant Springs State Park is a popular spot for anglers since this area is stocked regularly with trout.
Fort Peck Lake
Fort Peck Lake is the largest lake in Montana measuring 134 miles long and it has 1520 miles of shoreline with a maximum depth of 220 feet. This lake is known for its excellent walleye fishery, however, there are so many species of fish that you can catch here. Salmon, lake trout, northern pike and smallmouth bass are all here in good enough numbers to fish for them and to expect to be able to catch some fish. Crappie and catfish are here too.
This lake is known for its excellent walleye fishery, however, there are so many species of fish that you can catch here. Salmon, lake trout, northern pike and smallmouth bass are all here in good enough numbers to fish for them and to expect to be able to catch some fish. Crappie and catfish are here too.
Lake Sakakawea
Lake Sakakawea is one of the three largest man-made reservoirs in the nation. The lake has a surface area of about 368,000 acres and is 178 miles long with depths ranging from 70 to 175 feet in the main channel. The lake offers many opportunities for boating and fishing.
The lake can be a challenge for new anglers because of its size, but it will definitely reward you once you learn the hot spots. This is a walleye lake and the fishing can be amazing for walleye with good numbers of them being caught and trophy fish potential too. The pike fishing is good here too and many anglers will catch plenty of pike while fishing for walleye. The smallmouth bass fishery is getting real good here with good numbers and big fish available too.
Lake Oahe
Lake Oahe is a huge reservoir on the Missouri River in South Dakota. It is the largest of the four Missouri River reservoirs with around 370,000 total surface acres. It also is 231 miles long and has a maximum depth of more than 200 feet. It is known for its excellent fishing. Anglers may catch walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike, brown trout, rainbow trout, salmon, lake trout, crappie, white bass and yellow perch.
Lake Sharpe
Lake Sharpe is located in South Dakota just below the Oahe Dam in Pierre, South Dakota. This reservoir covers more than 56,000 surface acres and is approximately 80 miles long. There is some excellent depth in the lake as well with depths as deep as 78 feet of water. Lake Sharpe is a popular walleye lake. It puts out good numbers of walleye with big fish available too. Spring and fall are the best months to consistently catch walleye, but the summer bite can be good too if you know how to find them. Catfish are very abundant in the lake, but are not targeted by most anglers. Smallmouth bass and yellow perch are available in smaller numbers, but there is a fishable population of both species in the lake.
Lake Francis Case
Lake Francis Case is a long reservoir that is more than 100 miles long. It is a popular reservoir that is part of the Missouri River system. Anglers usually come here to fish for walleye, but other species are available as well. The walleye are definitely king here and they can be caught in good numbers from spring through fall. Some very big walleye do come from Lake Francis Case every year. Some of the other fish to target are smallmouth bass, northern pike, sauger, yellow perch, catfish and sunfish.
Lewis & Clark Lake
Lewis and Clark Lake is good-sized reservoir that covers 31,000 acres. It is the smallest of South Dakota’s four Missour River reservoirs, however, at nearly 16 miles long and 3 miles wide, there is plenty of room to fish here and good numbers of fish call this lake home. Like the other reservoirs on the Missouri River system in this state, walleye are definitely the main draw here for most anglers. Good numbers of walleye are caught from spring through fall and some big fish are caught too. Some of the other species of fish to target are sauger, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, catfish, crappie, bluegill and other sunfish.