In the course of a year Mark’s my hunting and fishing travels I get asked about this 134 miles of reservoir more than any other body of water.

Montana, as you know, has many great lakes to recreate during this time of the year, but when you consider Fort Peck’s size and the number of species that it holds, there isn’t a lake that comes close – not only in Montana but in states that border our state.

I am writing this column as I sit in my fifth wheel in Hell Creek State Campground, which is 25 miles north of Jordan. I have been here a week fishing with Downrigger Dale and Steve Hellegaard, who are from Missoula. Two of my brothers from South Dakota and Virginia are scheduled to arrive soon, and after their 10-hour drive, we will enjoy another week of fishing. As a I look out my window, I can see campers with license plates from North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, and even as far away as Iowa.

Most folks come to Hell Creek to fish for walleye, but others enjoy the northern pike, smallmouth bass, and crappie around Hell Creek . If you want to travel by water 30 miles to the east toward the dam, you can even catch lake trout or even king salmon. In fact Bill Zahradka, a friend of mine from Wolf Point, texted me that last weekend, his son and he landed 50 lake trout and seven king salmon. The Fort Peck fishing frenzy has been caught by tournament anglers, too! This year the Montana Walleye Governors Cup fishing tournament filled up in April. The 200 two-person team tourney will be held July 7-9.

Two weeks ago Rock Creek Marina, which is located on the dry arm of Fort Peck, hosted a walleye tournament that had 96 teams competing. There are also numerous bass tournaments on Fort Peck throughout the summer and the Pikemasters out of Billings had a tournament just last weekend out of Rock Creek.

Big water, big fish and lots of them add up to big money for the marinas, convenience stores, grocery stores, and many other local retailers that try to make a living in small towns that border this massive sized body of water. Clint and Deb Thomas have owned Hell Creek Marina for quite a few years. Their “How can I help” attitude has helped many fisherman when they have had an equipment failure. Just this week alone, I saw Clint lend a helping hand to three boaters who would have had to pack and go home if it wasn’t for his knowledge on how to fix a problem on their boats and a boat trailer.