Georgetown Lake

[ELKCHSR]

The day started out pretty slow, overall we pulled maybe 40-45 fish out of the ice holes

We moved the shack 4 times, the last putting it where we started

Normally it isn't uncommon for a couple anglers to pull 60-100+ fish out in a day

The last time my buddy went out, he and his grandfather pulled over 225 in a day, he said he couldn't hardly keep a pole in the water they were biting so fast

On that day, he pulled a 5 pound Brook out, the only camera he had was his cell phone and I can't get the pic off to post it...

Some times it's tough figuring which to put back in the hole and which to toss out the door since we can only keep 5 each

All in all, it turned out pretty good, the end of the day was better than the first, most of these pulled out the last 1/2 hour before we packed it in...

All the Brookies have to be tossed back, and some are real dandys

 

[Bambistew]

Nice work, did you guys catch any salmon?

I haven't fished GT lake in years, we used to pound em in the summer in float tubes though. Fun lake to fish.

 

[ELKCHSR]

My buddy does a lot of float tubing in the summer...

We caught a number of salmon late last year, and earlier this year, but they're spawned out now and haven't even seen any for quite some time...

 

[ELKCHSR]

Heres some from a few weeks ago...

 

[BuzzH]

Nice fish Cheese! Those trout are fun to catch out of georgetown for sure.

Bambistew,

The amatuers fish the spawing kokanee in Georgetown...they arent fit to eat, black as tar, and dont fight at all. You can catch all you want over on the highway side by the pumphouse.

I've caught over 100 of the 2-3 year old salmon in just a few hours many times. These fish are totally different, silver, pink meated, and good eating. Most people that fish georgetown dont have a clue how to catch them. The location as well as fishing with the right lure(s) the right way is the key.

I would hate to say how many my Dad, Brother, and I along with a few friends have caught out of there. Thousands and thousands...but most people just dont know how to do it.

This time of year the salmon fishing on georgetown is pretty tough. Since the lake isnt that deep I think dissolved oxygen content really messes with them. I also know that there are some drastic thermoclines in that lake this time of year...that makes it tough as well. They're still catchable but you work at it alot more now than when the ice is first on. The best months are Nov. Dec. and January. From February to ice-out I've never done that well, 35-40 fish a day is realistic. Trout are like carp in that lake, they dont count, you can catch lots of them all the time any time.

Heres a couple journal entries I have:

12/26/2006...fished Georgetown with Brian Robbins. Caught 212 salmon and 25-30 trout. Used XXXXXjigs, and XXXX XXXX. I caught 115 myself. Released all the trout.

12/27/2006 Fished Georgetown again with Matt, Dad, and Brian...fishing was good but a bit slower...130 salmon and 16 trout...fished until 2 pm. Kept 2 trout.

12/28/2006 Fished Georgetown again...caught 123 salmon between Dad and I. Fished until 2:30 pm. Released all the trout.

I rarely keep trout of Georgetown and rarely target them. They are fun to catch, but they dont eat nearly as well as the salmon.

I didnt get the chance to fish it this year, but Dad, Matt, and my buddy Brian that lives there in Anaconda knocked the crap out of them again.

 

[Bambistew]

I used to fish with my ex's dad up at Georgetown for salmon, and also used to pound em on the lake over by East Helena... can't remember the name at the moment, it was just a little pond... We used 'flashers' and various live baits and glow hooks. Can't say that we ever caught 100 in a day, but we usually had more than we wanted to clean by the time it was over. We smoked and canned most of it.

I don't mind catching trout, rarely keep any, but fun to fish for. About the only trout I care for are the cuts out of COLD water. The rest aren't worth cooking IMO.

 

[ELKCHSR]

Its tough keeping the Salmon off the lines at times, if you can see your bait, you have a tendency to jerk it away from the Salmon hoping to hook on to bigger fish reeling around the bait

There is a lot of salad growing in around the pump house and if you don't hit some of the areas just right, your hole fills full of debris being knocked loose and it’s constantly getting snagged

While lake fishing like this is fun, I still much prefer to fish fast moving streams with waders, worms/grasshoppers, and a day bag

The fish may be smaller, but you’re constantly moving, seeing new ground, and always looking to see if there's a better hole just around the corner

At lunch time, you can start a small fire and roast your catch on a stick...

I've also been able to witness a multitude of wildlife with the stream fishing

It's very quiet and animals just don't seem to be bothered by your presence like they are if you’re just out walking/hunting

I had a very large beaver swim with in 18” of me on one occasion and song dogs following me around in hopes of cleaning up fish entrails when it’s time to pack up at the end of the day

When you’re by yourself, you can imagine your the only one left, it’s just you, the river, nature, and a nice day

 

[BuzzH]

Bambistew,

The pond you're thinking of is the Helena valley regulating reservoir...I've fished it several times. Used to be pretty good sized Kokanee in there too. I heard they're not real big anymore. The limit was ten back in the day, and they were 16-18 inches, 1.5-2.5 pounds. Its only 5 now and they're smaller. The kokanee in Hauser got in there through a ditch connecting the Regulating Reservoir and Hauser. They got into Holter from Hauser. So, basically the salmon in the two big reservoirs were a FWP screw up.

We also used to catch really big Kokanee out of Hauser...I mean 18-22 inches and 3.5-4.5 pounds each. Many a day Dad, Grandpa, and I would catch our limit of 30. Its amazing how much room 30 3-4 pound fish take up in a cooler with ice.

Did the same thing at Holter with both trout and Kokanee as well. I've caught bigger kokanee out of Holter than Hauser...caught them just over 5 pounds.

When the fish at Georgetown are hitting good...you dont even use bait.

 

[Bambistew]

Thats the one, seems like it had a name though... Anyway. Yeah the fish were nice sized.

I'll be in Helena this summer, I hope to hit Holter and the river below. Been a long time since I fished MT in the summer.