BOUNTY OF THE INLAND OCEAN

With more sprawling coastline than the state of California and only a handful of developed access points, Fort Peck Reservoir, encircled almost entirely by wildlife-rich public land, is one of those uncut gems of the Northern Plains.

This eastern Montana reservoir—the largest impoundment of the Missouri River in Montana—is best known for its walleyes. It’s a spot to catch limits but also numbers of double-digit marble-eyes on a variety of standard presentations. But increasing numbers of anglers are heading to Fort Peck for its sleeper smallmouths, its excellent cold-water lake trout and chinook salmon, and for its surly northern pike. In short, it’s a multi-species fishery masquerading