By Robert Lucke
Thanks to photos supplied by local angler, Bob Jestrab, and Kent Gilge, fish biologist with the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks office, area fishermen can see some representatives of the huge fish grown in this part of Montana.
Each of these fish was caught and released so are still there for anglers to catch. Gilge, when interviewed about these fish, advised ice fishermen to make bigger holes this season. There are some big fish out there. All these are year 2000 fish.
An 80-pound paddlefish. Remember when you are looking at this monster that it is some 62 pounds smaller than the state record. It was caught on the Missouri River at the Fred L. Robinson Bridge.
Not all mouth for this large mouth bass. It weighed in at 5 1/2 pounds. It was caught and released at Bailey's Reservoir.
This walleye was caught and released at Beaver Creek Reservoir. It is a 15 pound female. By late February it should be pushing close to 17 pounds.
Who says trout don't grow big in this neck of the woods? This 8 pound rainbow was caught and released in a public fishing reservoir in Blaine County.
This eighteen pound northern pike was caught and released this summer from Fresno Reservoir.
