I have a very hard time realizing that stream fishing in the Bear Paw Mountains is open all year long these days. It used to be that the season did not start until around the third weekend in May.
A friend was talking to me yesterday and told me that at the old Eagles Campground, which is the first large grove of Box Elder trees coming in to Beaver Creek Park from Havre; the fishing right now is great! It must be great not only there because when I drive through Beaver Creek Park; it is rare not to see a couple of fishermen from Bear Paw Lake north to the park entrance.
Those people are catching rainbow trout mainly with a few brook trout thrown in for good measure.
From Bear Paw Lake north, the water is deep and holds a lot of fish.
From Bear Paw Lake up in Beaver Creek Park, you are more likely to catch a large brook trout. That part of Beaver Creek Park is harder to fish as there are tangles, downed trees and lots of snags to fight both above ground and under water.
I grew up fishing on Clear Creek. The difference between fishing on Clear Creek and Beaver Creek is that Clear Creek is all private land and you need to get permission to fish. I have not heard of many people who asked and were refused permission.
My favorite places to fish on Clear Creek were up Henderson or Anderson Creeks. Those are also known as the east fork and west fork of Clear Creek and are home to some huge brook trout that can be gotten by using worms for bait. The trick of fishing those waters is not letting the fish see your shadow. There are few snags in those waters but sometimes not a lot of water. Find a deep hole and you know there will be brook trout in it.
To think that I could stop all the things I am doing this morning, load the fishing pole in the car and go fishing in Bear Paw streams is just awesome!
You know for a long time only the most stubborn of people ever fished our streams. Fishing had become that of fishing the lakes, dams and reservoir. That seems to be changing as people realize there our streams are just full of fish!
