Don Wilkins, Great Fisherman, Awesome Guide, and He Teaches with Technology and Oh So Much More!

06/15/24 • 69 min

This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast we continued our series about learning waterways and species of fish that are new to you by hiring a fishing guide. Your host Downrigger Dale sat down with fishing guide Don Wilkins of 56 Fishing Guide Service for an amazing discussion about learning fishing techniques with fishing technology and oh so much more. Don guides on Fort Peck Reservoir and though he is fairly new to guiding he is hardly new to fishing; he’s been doing it his whole life. Rigger got to know Don through the Captain of the Montana Outdoor Radio Show. It seemed like every time Rigger and the Captain would see Don out on the water he was reeling in a huge Salmon, Lake Trout or Walleye. In fact, Don was the first person that Rigger had met that could catch the big salmon through the ice on Fort Peck. You will also learn about how Don uses his Garmin Livescope to help teach his clients jigging and other techniques. It really is amazing how it shows the jig and the fish approaching it and how his clients can see how the fish reacts to their technique. When you listen you will also hear Don go into detail about the gear, lures, bait and more that for he uses to catch the different species of fish in Fort Peck, and of course the techniques he uses to catch the King of the Fort Peck fish, the mighty King Salmon. WARNING: once you listen to all the things he tells Rigger about catching the incredible King Salmon you might just catch a nasty case of Black Jaw Fever! That is name for the addiction you will have once you catch on of those incredibly powerful fish. Just know that currently there is no cure for Black Jaw Fever. Don Wilkins can ease your symptoms by teaching you how to catch them but that just leaves you wanting more once the thrill wears off. Gang, DO NOT miss this Podcast!! You will learn a TON from Don not just about catching Kings but about catching other species as well!
If you want to learn more about Don Wilkins click here to view the 56 Fishing Guide Service, LLC Facebook page. Be sure and check out the incredible pictures on the Facebook Page by clicking here and watch those Livescope videos by clicking here. You can also learn more about Don by clicking here. Don also works through Eddie and the Gang at Lakeridge Lodging and Bait Shop and Big Sky Fishing Charters so click those links. If you have questions for Don, click here to send him and email. As always be sure and email your old buddy Downrigger Dale and let him know what you thought of this Podcast and what your ideas are for topics for future podcasts.

Remember to tune in to The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, live every Saturday from 6:00AM to 8:00AM MT. The show airs on 30 radio stations 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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undefined - Walleye, Smallies, Pike, Lakers and King Salmon Oh My! Learn Where to Find Them and How to Catch Them from Fishing Guide Scott Collinsworth of Fort Peck Marina!!

Walleye, Smallies, Pike, Lakers and King Salmon Oh My! Learn Where to Find Them and How to Catch Them from Fishing Guide Scott Collinsworth of Fort Peck Marina!!

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This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast your host Downrigger Dale and the Captain of the Montana Outdoor Radio Show sat down with Fort Peck Fishing Guide, Scott Collinsworth. Scott and his wife Jess are also the owners of Fort Peck Marina on the incredible Fort Peck Reservoir. One of the many topics that Rigger and the Captain talked with Scott about is the idea of someone that is not familiar with such a massive lake like Fort Peck, using a Fishing Guide like Scott to learn where to find amd catch all the different species of fish that the lake has to offer. They talked all about how to find the “Big Uns” like, well, none other than the King of Fort Peck Reservoir the Mighty Chinook Salmon! Catching 20 plus pounders is not unusual but as Scott explained it can be a real grind for even the most experienced fishermen that has been fishing Fort Peck for years. Thus, Rigger’s idea of hiring a guide like Scott if you are a newcomer to the 134 mile long lake. The Big Blackjaws were not all the boys discussed, however. Scott also gave out all kinds of great advice and described some of his most successful techniques for finding and catching HUGE Walleyes, some VERY FEISTY Smallmouth Bass, big Pike and Massive Lake Trout! When you listen to this Podcast it will be like getting a personal seminar from one of the top guides in all of Montana. Better yet why not go out fishing with Scott one of these days? Another thing you will learn about when you listen to the Podcast is a TON about Fort Peck Marina, the campground, tackle shop and the wonderful restaurant and bar. Make sure you listen to the entire podcast because there is fantastic advice that you will get from jigging techniques, tackle suggestions, when to go after the big Salmon, and much, much more. As Rigger put it; “Scott is an incredible teacher, he explains things so dang well and his ideas and overall approach to becoming a better fishermen are fascinating. I can’t wait to get out on the water and try what I have learned!! Lookout Blackjaws I’m coming for ya!!”
Links:

For more information about Fort Peck Marina, the Campground, Restaurant, Tackle Shop and the Guide Service just click here.
If you have questions for Scott, just call and leave a message for him at (406) 526-3442 and he will call you back after he gets done guiding some lucky folks through another great day out on Fort Peck Reservoir.
Make sure you shoot your old buddy Downrigger Dale an email too and let him know what you thought of this podcast and give him your ideas for future podcast topics! Click here to send Rigger an email. You can also just click the Text Link above.

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The Montana Outdoor Podcast Came Across a Real Cool Way to Live & Store Your Outdoor Toys! Just Wait Until You Hear About This!

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This week on the Montana Outdoor Podcast your host Downrigger Dale has a great conversation with Ryan Medlinger owner of Reliable Steel Erectors. Ryan and his amazing team of builders construct steel buildings that are taking Montana by storm! These buildings are without a doubt the hottest trend in the way to live the outdoor life in a budget friendly and incredibly comfortable way and uses your land in the most efficient way you have ever seen, and is, well, really, really cool! You may have heard of the new construction style known as a Barndominium or Shouse. Both of those terms mean the same thing and basically mean that you combine a living space and shop, barn or outbuilding into one building. Ryan and his company, Reliable Steel Erectors, has taken that idea to a whole other level. What they do is turn the idea of a shop with living quarters into an incredible home that allows you to also store your boat, trucks, tools, RVs, etc. all together. What makes it so incredible is he can make them look and feel pretty much like any kind of style that you want. For example, when you listen to the podcast you will hear Ryan talk about one example where he covers the steel beams and such with wood to give the place a lodge look and feel and the options go on and on from there. What you end up with is a home and shop that is stronger, and way better insulated then any home you will ever find. You also may save money in a lot of ways from traditional construction. For example, you are not running wiring, plumbing and putting in separate foundations for two separate structures and the advantages go on from there. For those of you that also run a business on your property, the advantages increase even more! Not to mention you are using the space on your lot WAY more efficiently. Oh, and the inside is...well, you just need to listen to the podcast. So interesting!! Of course, Ryan also builds traditional shops, outbuildings, etc. as well using his unique steel construction process and you will learn about that too when you listen!
Note: Rigger mentioned in the podcast that there maybe some additional cost savings in property taxes and insurance which that might be the case, but it depends on location and other factors so don’t forget to investigate that as well!
Links:

To learn more about Reliable Steel Erectors and Ryan click here.
If you want to see some pictures of Ryan’s latest projects, click here.
If you have questions for Ryan, click here to send him an email or simply give him a call at (406) 529-0191.
And don’t forget to click here to email your buddy Downrigger Dale to let him know your thoughts about this podcast and to give him your ideas for topics for future podcasts!