Finding a fish to fry

I saw on the news this morning that folks in Helena are upset with how the city responded to the recent flooding there. People are fed up with the high water and want someone to remedy the problem.

I don’t ask so much of my elected officials and government agencies. I usually prefer they simply leave me alone.

Only in the direst of straits do I seek help.

Unfortunately, that’s where I now find myself.

So I turned to my favorite government entity -- The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks – and asked for help.

My favorite fishing holes are apparently devoid of fish. Last summer’s drought and a winter for the books proved lethal to the fish populations in a lot of small ponds across the state.

I got skunked last week on the bass pond where I could always catch a limit. Ditto on my favorite pike place.

I never expected this. I always kept quiet about the exceptional pond fishing I was enjoying. A few years ago I had been approached by Montana Outdoors to write an article for the magazine about pond fishing in the area. I politely declined.

It was a closely guarded secret. At least the best ponds were, even though they’re all listed a pond fishing guide published by FWP.

Now they’re empty.

I stopped at the department’s Region 6 headquarters in Glasgow last week to report what I’d found. The fine folks there told me they would pass on the information to a fisheries biologist, and the ponds would most likely be restocked this summer.

I’ve always been impressed with how responsive FWP is to requests from outdoor folk and this was no exception. I suspect the department could even solve Helena’s flooding woes if asked.

It will be a few years before my old honey holes again produce anything large enough to fillet so I’ll have to turn elsewhere for fish fry fodder.

I even considered a hiatus from fishing, concentrating on the yard and garden instead, but soon realized that was nonsense.

My priorities remain in order.

If it’s not hunting season it’s time to fish, if not in a pond, perhaps a lake or maybe a river or a creek.

It might even be time to revisit the pond fishing guide. Surely they didn’t all winterkill.

I’m just looking for a few hot spots filled with fish and known to few. Is that too much to ask?

Parker Heinlein is at [email protected].