The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1945-08-23
All States People Could Fish
On Peck Lake at Same Time

HELENA-Fort Peck lake, the 49,
mile long artificial lake behind the
worlds largest earth-fill dam, is
potentially the answer to the east
ern Montana sportsman's need for
fishing and hunting, principally
fishing.
The PAS, 900 acres of water with
1000 miles CT shore line, is teem-
ing with both warm water fish
species and hard-fighting trout,
Elmer Phillips, state s~uperintend-
ent of fisheries, said. He added that
if every man, woman and child in
Montana were to fish at the same
time ON the shore, there would be
100 feet of shore line for each Of
them and the fish to go with it.
Sportsmen long have been
anxious to enjoy the advantages of
a fishing spot east of the mountain
areas. During the last four years, the
state fisheries division has planted
thousands of rainbow and Loeb
pound rainbows and two-pound
Lochs are common in fishermen's
creels. Phillips said the most signifi-
cant fact to him is that these trout
are being caught on lines trolling for
warm water fish. If the fishermen
really set out to catch trout, he
won't predict what they might get
in the dark cold water on the
bottom Of the lake.
Warm water species in the lake
include the perch, which swarm
throughout the shore-line waters
and can be caught easily from the
bank anywhere on the lake, and
bite as eagerly on bait cast from
boats. Some perch caught in the
lake reach a weight of one and
cne-half pounds, and the species
has furnished many good fish din
ners for residents of the area.
Although perch predominant,
sportsmen like to hook the fight
ing walleyed pike, which grow as
large as four and five pounds and
have a firm white, tasty flesh.
Phillips says these fish are getting
larger each season, indicating that
the lake has plenty Of good feed.
Old-timers in lake area say that
when native pike were found in the
Missouri none exceeded three
pounds.
Best feature of the lake fishing,
the SportSmen claim, is that the
lake is open the year around and
ice fishing is a popular sport for
all eastern residents because it
yields good catches of beth the
water species and trout.
Perch and rainbow are the prin-
cipal species caught through holes
in the ice. The only species that
has not been caught extensively
summer or winter is the
mackinaw, which has been planted
in the lake by the state fisheries
division also. Phillips predicts that
if fishermen ever use deep water
tackle, they will catch mackinaws.
Besides perch. fishermen occa-
get good catches of bass,
crappie and Dream up to one-half
pound. all of which make good
Looking to the future, when birds
and big game again will be good
hunting in the area, the federal
fish and wildlife service has sur
rounded the lake with a 913 ,036-
plCSCl We lOl upldllO bdlllC I'LL 10
and migratory waterfowl. The state
has supplemented this with a 217,-
728-acre Snow creek reserve, in
which deer. antelope and grouse are
protected. The federal preserve lies
n parts of McCone, Valley. Phillips,
Petroleum, Garfield and Fergus
counties, and the state preserve lies
IN Garfield county. The state fish
and game department plans eventu-
ally to stock the Missouri river
breaks with mountain sheep and to
restore the deer in areas where they
been eXterminated.
When the game population is at
hunting level again. eastern Mon
will no longer have to make
ong Journeys to western counties
% hunt and fish. They will have all
he outdoor sport they need right
1t home.