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This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast your host Downrigger Dale talks with FWP Fisheries Biologist Brian Stephens about an incredible chain of lakes in Northwest Montana. These lakes are stunning in appearance and cover approximately 3,000 acres and stretch over 20 miles along Highway 2, halfway between Kalispell and Libby. This includes an extensive State Park that includes shoreline access to 18 lakes including McGregor Lake, Little McGregor Lake, Lower Thompson Lake, Middle Thompson Lake, Upper Thompson Lake, Horseshoe Lake and Loon Lake. Depending on which lake you fish you will find all kinds of different fish, such as Kokanee Salmon, several different species of Trout, Large Mouth and Small Mouth Bass, Northern Pike, Perch, Pumpkinseeds, and even a species of fish that you rarely find in Montana, the elusive Tiger Muskie! And get this we have not even named all the different species. Brian Stephens is extremely knowledgeable and when you listen to the podcast, he will take you on a podcast tour of several of the lakes and talks about what you can find in them. Rigger and Brian spent some time talking about the Tiger Muskie in Horseshoe Lake since that is a fish you just don’t find often in Montana. Brian talked about why they were put into Horseshoe Lake which is VERY interesting. Basically, they are used, in a way, like a biological Rumba to keep populations of non-sportfish down so that the lake can support fish that are more popular to fishermen. Wait until you hear how tricky these fish are! There are several campgrounds throughout the area so plan on staying a while and explore these lakes. They truly are fascinating and will get you addicted to the area since you can catch so many different species of fish in these lakes. It is likely that you will want to listen to this podcast more than once as there is a TON of information waiting for you.

Links:

• Click here to learn more and see activities, services and what’s nearby. You can also learn more about the Thompson Chain of Lakes and the State Park that covers almost the entire area click here. And Click here to see a map of campgrounds, boat ramps, day use areas, etc. on the Thompson Chain of Lakes.
• Click here to look up the regulations for these lakes. Since there are so many different species with different limits it is a good idea to get familiar with the regs. Regulations for Western District start on page 23.
• If you have any questions for FWP Fisheries Biologist Brian Stephens, click here to send him an email or call him at (406) 293-4161.
• Let Downrigger know your thoughts. Click Here to Email him.

Remember to tune in to our live radio show, The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, every Saturday morning from 6:00AM to 8:00AM. The show airs on 30 radio stations all across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.

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This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast your host Downrigger Dale caught up with Owen Willcox to talk about how he and his teammate Ziek Gordon pulled off a fantastic come from behind victory! Owen called in from the banks of Lake Oahe outside of Pierre, South Dakota where he and Ziek had just finished doing some pre-fishing for the 50th South Dakota Governor’s Cup Walleye Tournament. This is a fascinating podcast as Owen goes into great detail about how he and Ziek overcame one of the toughest Walleye Bites that the Gov Cup has seen in a very long time! You will learn how Owen and Ziek were able to somehow get into seventh place with just three fish at the end of Day One of the tournament. Then you will hear about the discussion that Own and Ziek had that night. They decided to throw caution and their original plan to the wind and head to…. Well, you will have to listen to the podcast to find out where they went and how they went from being in 7th place and almost 18 pounds behind the leaders to winning the whole thing! What were they using on the end of their lines to pull that off? How many fish did they have to catch to get to get that magic 5? What was their final winning weight? When you listen you will learn the answers to those questions and many others. Plus, you will also learn about Owen’s career as young professional fisherman on the National Walleye Tour! This was a VERY interesting part of the podcast as well since we rarely get to learn about tournaments outside of Montana. The National Walleye Tour takes Owen all across the country including the Great Lakes and even as far east as New York. Owen even gave some advice for other young men and women that might want to give the National Walleye Tour a try! Owen is only 20 years old but he is wise way beyond his years when it comes to fishing. Whether you fish tournaments a lot or never have you will for sure learn something from this podcast!

Links:

• If you would like to learn more about the Montana Governor’s Cup, click here.
• If you would like to see the standings of the Gov Cup after Day One, click here.
• If you would like to see the final results of where everyone finished the Gov Cup, click here.
• If you would like to learn more about Owen Wilcox, click here.
• If you would like to learn more about the National Walleye Tour, click here.
• If you have any questions for Owen Wilcox, click the link below and Rigger will get your questions answered for you.
• Of course, your old buddy Rigger would love to hear from you too so just click here to send him an email with your questions, comments or suggestions for future podcast topics!

Remember to tune in to our live radio show, The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, every Saturday morning from 6:00AM to 8:00AM. The show airs on 30 radio stations all across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.

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This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast your host Downrigger Dale sits down with the Chief Marketing & Communication Officer of the Montana Department of Commerce, Mitch Staley, to talk about the VisitMT.com website and all the amazing things it can do for Montanans and those outside of Montana that want to discover our great state. And believe us when we say they aren’t just talking about the typical trip to Glacier or Yellowstone Parks. Rigger and Mitch get goin down Montana roads that for sure qualify as the “roads less traveled”! When you listen you will learn how to find a Montana adventure that is perfect for you! Have you ever had this discussion with your spouse, kids, partner or traveling buddy; “Where do you want to go?” “I don’t know, where do you want to go?” “Well, what do you want to do?” “I don’t know what do you want to do?”? VisitMT.com is the ultimate cure for that discussion! Mitch Staley explains how that website can even suggest a travel itinerary for you. For example, you can click on an area of the site labeled “Trip Ideas”. When you click on that it will give you ideas to click on like “5 Days in Eastern Montana” or “4 Days in Northwest Montana” or… Well, you just need to listen and learn about all the ways you can plan a trip on VisitMT.com. How about taking your kids on a Dinosaur Discovery Tour?! As Mitch explained there are all kinds of ways "To Montana" whether you love to fish, hike or…just listen to this podcast and find out “How You Can Montana”. If you are a business owner, you can promote your business on VisitMT.com for free! See the link below to get started!

There are a few links in the article above to get you to some of the areas that Rigger and Mitch talk about in the Podcast. Below are a few other links you will also find helpful.

Links:

• Again, here is the main link to get you started on VisitMT.com.
• Questions? You can call Visit MT at 1-800-847-4868 or click here for a live chat with the folks at Visit MT.
• Click here to learn more about promoting your business on VisitMT.com.
• Click here for many other related links that the Montana Department of Commerce and the Montana Office

Remember to tune in to our live radio show, The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, every Saturday morning from 6:00AM to 8:00AM. The show airs on 30 radio stations all across the State of Montana. You can get a list of our affiliated radio stations on our website. You can also listen to recordings of past shows, get fishing and and hunting information and much more at that website or on our Facebook page. You can also watch our radio show there as well.