Montana Fish Report

Trout angling is still productive at Diamond Lake in eastern Douglas County, offering a fall fishing opportunity for anglers.

“This is a great time of year for hunters who are camped in the area to take a break and have a shot at some very nice-sized fish that are still willing to bite,” says Greg Huchko, Umpqua District fisheries biologist.

ODFW creel surveys estimate about three and a half fish per angler are being caught at Diamond Lake, and one fish per hour which is higher than this time last year. Anglers are also catching larger fish, with the average fish size at just over 15 inches.

Best success comes with trolling lures and bottom fishing with PowerBait while fly-anglers are having good luck on the south end of the lake.

Please remember tiger trout are catch-and-release only. Stocked last year as fingerlings, they are averaging 13 to 16 inches and should begin preying on minnows next year. ODFW recently added 15,000 tigers in the three to five-inch range in addition to those stocked this past spring.

The bag limit for trout in Diamond Lake is five legal-sized fish per day with only one of those over 20 inches per day, and two daily limits in possession.

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