19 hrs ago
The lower end of Holter Reservoir might be closed this week to allow firefighting resources access to the water, the state announced Tuesday.
Another Montana state record fish caught in Holter Lake
Austin Wargo
Posted at 9:26 AM, May 18, 2021
and last updated 2021-05-18 11:26:01-04
GREAT FALLS â For the second time in less than a week, Holter Reservoir (also known as Holter Lake) near Helena has produced a new fish for the Montana record book, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP).
On May 14, Austin Wargo landed a longnose sucker weighing 4.21 pounds. Wargo used a jig to catch his fish, which was 19.5 inches long with a girth of more than 12 inches. He beat the previous record for longnose sucker, which was set just weeks ago by Jacob Bernhardt in Great Falls; Jacob s fish weighed 3.42 pounds and was 20.1 inches long.
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For Helena angler Trevor Johnson, it is the allure of the unknown that has always inspired his passion for fishing.
It doesnât matter whether it s fishing from a boat costing tens of thousands of dollars or casting from the shore while sitting in a lawn chair, anyone at any time on any given cast can hook the fish of a lifetime, he says. And it is that promise of what the depths of Holter Reservoir might hold that led Trevor and his dad Kit Johnson to head out fishing on Monday.
âThis spring has been a beast out there, not because thereâs no walleyes, but itâs been cold and the flows have been way below normal,â he said. âTrout have been great but the walleyes, those fish are in there doing something different this year.â
âMaybe we should have left the lake earlier,â Thompson said upon reflection.
Realization
Instead, on the drive back to their friendâs house in Jordan, Thompson finally got cell service and discovered that the bass sloshing around in their trailered boat could challenge the state record.
A mad dash ensued.
âIt was instantly, âWhat should we do to get this confirmed and verified,ââ Peressini said.
His friend in Jordan gave them tips on what to do. Upon reaching town the men went to the only store and put the fish on the deliâs certified scale. That showed the fish weighed 7.8 pounds. The existing state record at the time â caught on Sept. 23, 2017, by Alberton angler Mike Dominick â was 7.51 pounds. Dominickâs fish measured 21-inches long and had a football-like girth of 19 inches. Thompsonâs fish is 22 inches long and has a girth of 17.75 inches.