he evidence points toward
there being a lot of disaffected youth these days, and I can’t help but think more
fishing and less television would benefit a lot of kids. Get ‘em away from the tube
and give them the opportunity to catch fish, especially big fish, and I’m certain you
would find their attitude and attention span improve wonderfully. It’s been a long
time since I was 12, and I’ve racked up quite a list of experiences in the meanwhile,
but I’ve found the list of things more fun than being a kid and catching a bunch of
big fish is very short indeed. Of course, the days of hopping on your bike and pedaling
off to the old fishin’ hole aren’t within reach of a lot of kids anymore,
although thankfully they haven’t disappeared entirely in a lot of rural, and even
some urban areas. Still, finding a good place to take kids fishing can present a
challenge. Taking them fishing for the educated trout that inhabit Montana’s more
popular blue-ribbon
rivers can be a daunting task for both teacher and kid, and what is called for is
someplace where the kid can just catch fish, doggone it, with a minimum of technique and
luck required. And then, if they happen to be big fish besides, well…. Dream on,
right?
Well, Montana is a good place for turning dreams into reality, and parents of
prospective anglers owe a big "Thank You" to the Montana Dept. of Fish,
Wildlife, & Parks for providing an outstanding opportunity for kids to do just that;
catch a fish, or a whole mess of them, the size of which can leave most anglers shaking
their head and mumbling to themselves. It’s really a great opportunity, an exception
to the rule; "things that seem to good to be true usually are".
There’s five of these FWP Children’s Fishing Waters (fishing restricted to
those 12 and under) located conveniently in relative proximity to some of the state’s
best fishing locales. They are:
Elk's Club Pond near Lewistown, located by the Pine Meadows Golf Course.
Fairground Pond in Helena. The fairgrounds are in the northwest part of town, off
US12.
Gheny Pond near Twin Bridges. Just south of town along MT 41, the road to Dillon.
Indian Road Pond near Townsend. Located in a nice rest area adjacent to the
Missouri River just north of Townsend along US 287.
Vigilante Pond, Virginia city. Mining dredge pond between historic Virginia City
and Nevada City, also on US 287.
The lunker fish that swim these ponds didn’t just get there on their own, of
course. FWP stocks them with retired hatchery brood stock. These are big, mature fish that
are past their productive prime. The hatcheries need to do something with them, and what
better solution than to stock the kid’s ponds with them. Tie a kid into an eight or
ten pound trout, or a whole mess of them, and they quite likely will be a fisherman for
life. Of course, it may warp their perspective a bit, and subsequent fishing elsewhere
might have a hard time matching up, but you might as well start them out with a bang!
In our experience, the fish are as cooperative as they are big. Flyfishing has been a mixed bag,
but since effective flyfishing can tax the ability of many adults, let alone children, and
using lures or bait with a spinning rod is both easy and works so well, it’s the
obvious choice. Soaking a nightcrawler on the bottom is about as traditional as fishing
gets, and requires next to no skill. We’ve also had good luck with Powerbait
suspended below a bobber, which provides a little more visual drama between bites. For
kids with a little casting ability, lures keep the attention span stoked with regular
casting, and are highly effective to boot. These are big fish, and we’ve had the best
luck with larger spoons like Daredevils and even crankbaits. Also, you’re likely to
find a net an extremely handy item. Wrestling a fish half the size of your leg onto the
bank without one requires very high test line and some luck to boot, and you don’t
want to hear the howls of protest that will result if that lunker breaks off and vanishes
back into the depths.
I am a big advocate of catch & release fishing, but I will warn you in advance that
observing a strict "let ‘em go" policy on these kid’s ponds will prove
problematic. Obviously, filling up the back of the truck with a
limit for every kid would be very bad form, if not technically illegal, but telling a kid
they’ve got to release their first really big fish strikes me as borderline child
abuse. Plus this situation is mitigated somewhat by the fact that these fish are regularly
stocked, and somewhat on a put ‘n take basis. Still, it’s a good opportunity to
provide the kid some major gratification, and teach them not to be greedy at the same
time. For example, on a recent visit to Virginia City, my son and a friend caught fifteen
fish, as well as losing a good number of others, in a little over two hours. Of those,
they kept five that were bleeding from the gills and thus doomed anyway. One weighed an
even ten pounds, one 7# 14oz, one 7# 4oz, and the other two over six pounds. Enough to
make any adult fisherman laugh or cry, depending, and a tremendous experience for two
enthusiastic youngsters.
So, have a cooler along or be otherwise prepared to deal with a big fish or two. Fish
in this size range could be candidates for taxidermy, but one thing I should point out is
that these carry some evidence of their life in a hatchery raceway. Their fins are often
battered and shredded, if not outright missing, and they’re probably packing a few
scars. Any capable taxidermist could probably fix things, though. They also leave
something to be desired as table fare, in my opinion anyway. We smoked some, and it still
wasn’t exactly an Epicurean delight, but my wife suggested canning it & using it
for cat food. The cats think this is a fabulous idea!
All of these ponds are located right along paved roads in areas you’re likely to be
passing through while visiting Montana’s splendors. Perhaps most noteworthy in that
regard is Virginia City, which is a living museum. Many buildings date back to the gold
rush days of the 1860’s, and history buffs can absorb themselves for hours walking in
the footsteps of the road agents, miners, and vigilantes of that era. A few miles down the
road Gheny Pond at Twin Bridges is in close proximity to famous fishing on the Beaverhead,
Big Hole, and Ruby Rivers. The Missouri River and Canyon Ferry Reservoir are next door to
Townsend and Helena. Lewistown is slightly off the main tourist routes, but many view that
as an advantage and recreational opportunities abound in the area.
So, if you’ve got children and want to give them a thrill and perhaps help them
set a personal fishing record early in life, take them fishing in one of the FWP
Children’s Fishing Ponds. Be prepared to have your kids catch bigger fish than you
have, though….
he evidence points toward
there being a lot of disaffected youth these days, and I can’t help but think more
fishing and less television would benefit a lot of kids. Get ‘em away from the tube
and give them the opportunity to catch fish, especially big fish, and I’m certain you
would find their attitude and attention span improve wonderfully. It’s been a long
time since I was 12, and I’ve racked up quite a list of experiences in the meanwhile,
but I’ve found the list of things more fun than being a kid and catching a bunch of
big fish is very short indeed. Of course, the days of hopping on your bike and pedaling
off to the old fishin’ hole aren’t within reach of a lot of kids anymore,
although thankfully they haven’t disappeared entirely in a lot of rural, and even
some urban areas. Still, finding a good place to take kids fishing can present a
challenge. Taking them fishing for the educated trout that inhabit Montana’s more
popular
blue-ribbon
rivers can be a daunting task for both teacher and kid, and what is called for is
someplace where the kid can just catch fish, doggone it, with a minimum of technique and
luck required. And then, if they happen to be big fish besides, well…. Dream on,
right?
has been a mixed bag,
but since effective flyfishing can tax the ability of many adults, let alone children, and
using lures or bait with a spinning rod is both easy and works so well, it’s the
obvious choice. Soaking a nightcrawler on the bottom is about as traditional as fishing
gets, and requires next to no skill. We’ve also had good luck with Powerbait
suspended below a bobber, which provides a little more visual drama between bites. For
kids with a little casting ability, lures keep the attention span stoked with regular
casting, and are highly effective to boot. These are big fish, and we’ve had the best
luck with larger spoons like Daredevils and even crankbaits. Also, you’re likely to
find a net an extremely handy item. Wrestling a fish half the size of your leg onto the
bank without one requires very high test line and some luck to boot, and you don’t
want to hear the howls of protest that will result if that lunker breaks off and vanishes
back into the depths. 
limit for every kid would be very bad form, if not technically illegal, but telling a kid
they’ve got to release their first really big fish strikes me as borderline child
abuse. Plus this situation is mitigated somewhat by the fact that these fish are regularly
stocked, and somewhat on a put ‘n take basis. Still, it’s a good opportunity to
provide the kid some major gratification, and teach them not to be greedy at the same
time. For example, on a recent visit to Virginia City, my son and a friend caught fifteen
fish, as well as losing a good number of others, in a little over two hours. Of those,
they kept five that were bleeding from the gills and thus doomed anyway. One weighed an
even ten pounds, one 7# 14oz, one 7# 4oz, and the other two over six pounds. Enough to
make any adult fisherman laugh or cry, depending, and a tremendous experience for two
enthusiastic youngsters.
likely to be
passing through while visiting Montana’s splendors. Perhaps most noteworthy in that
regard is Virginia City, which is a living museum. Many buildings date back to the gold
rush days of the 1860’s, and history buffs can absorb themselves for hours walking in
the footsteps of the road agents, miners, and vigilantes of that era. A few miles down the
road Gheny Pond at Twin Bridges is in close proximity to famous fishing on the Beaverhead,
Big Hole, and Ruby Rivers. The Missouri River and Canyon Ferry Reservoir are next door to
Townsend and Helena. Lewistown is slightly off the main tourist routes, but many view that
as an advantage and recreational opportunities abound in the area.