Spring kayak ice fishing on Salmon Lake

Most of the lakes in western Montana are at that awkward stage where the ice is melting around the edges of the lake and pretty sketchy in the middle of the lake.  But the area around the inlet of Salmon Lake was starting to melt out today, so I decided to do some kayak ice fishing.

Here’s the north launch site.



Most of the lake was still covered with ice.



Some of my favorite ice fishing holes were open, and close enough to the edge of the ice that I could fish them from my kayak.



Precision casting was required to fish the holes that were further from the edge of the ice.  I usually cheated by casting past the hole, and then dragging my lure into the hole.



To make the fishing easier, I charged the edge of the ice with my kayak, and slid up on top of it. 



Then I was able to slide my kayak along on the ice by walking with my feet and pushing with my paddle.



The ice was thin enough that my weight cracked it.  Definitely not thick enough for conventional ice fishing!





Some lakes will remain frozen for several more weeks.  But Flathead Lake stays mostly open all winter.  I've been lake trout fishing there several times already this spring.

So, how was the fishing? Are they awake?

So, how was the fishing? Are they awake?

I didn't catch nothing. Nada. Zip. Bupkis. Squatolla. Zilch. But it was nice to see the water opening up.

So, how was the fishing? Are they awake?

I didn't catch nothing.

Doesn't this mean you caught something?

I did this early last year, while I was out the wind came up and pushed the ice sheet against a rock cliff.  I was cut off from the landing site for a couple hours waiting for the ice to move away from shore.

fun stuff!

That's awesome!  Lakes breaking up already in some spots here.  Now only if lake fish were a little larger...and better eating....

Now only if lake fish were a little larger...and better eating....

What's your opinion on the tastiness of lake trout as compared to various kinds of salmon?  I'm not a fan of cooked rainbow, brook, brown, or cutthroat trout, although I like them smoked.  But I like lake trout a lot, both cooked and smoked.

Salmon is way better than any trout in my opinion.  I don't eat trout, even lake trout - and I've tried it prepared many different ways by very experienced cooks that thought they could convince me to like it.  But salmon, and especially ocean caught salmon is amazing!  Fresh as a fillet, spiced up, or smoked, mixed in dips --yum.  Today, I just had some chinook that was frozen from September and it was not as good as fresh, but still tasted really good.

Now only if lake fish were a little larger...and better eating....

What's your opinion on the tastiness of lake trout as compared to various kinds of salmon?  I'm not a fan of cooked rainbow, brook, brown, or cutthroat trout, although I like them smoked.  But I like lake trout a lot, both cooked and smoked.

I personally do NOT like lake trout.  They have a strange oiliness to them which usually is a good thing but the "flavor" was just very odd.  But I have only had lake trout from two different lakes, one fish each.  So I can't really say much.  I will say I did not at all like steelhead for eating when I lived in WA.  I am not sure why that is.  Seems like it should be a lot like salmon. 

Out of lake here in Alaska, about the only fish I will eat are burbot and stocked cohos or chinooks (8 to 12 inchers).

Now you go and smoke a few fish, that's a whole different story!  Like you, I LOVE smoked trout!   I really liked eating crappies and walleyes and even large and smallmouth bass while I lived in NY.  My favorite fish though to eat while in NY were bullheads. Skin & had and gut them, corn meal, deep fry whole and eat like corn on the cob!

It's just the halibut and salmon in the ocean seem so much better for the table at least here in Alaska.