Howe’s Fishing, located in Montana’s Flathead Valley, near Glacier National Park, is like no other Flathead Lake fishing guide service. This lake is 592 acres in size. This is my friend Mary who caught her first-ever lake trout. The lake itself offers excellent fishing, but not necessarily for fly fishing. Be sure to check your regulations for river fishing now though. Flathead Lake is one of the largest natural lakes in the world and is the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi. The whitefish can also be very sizable, frequently topping 10 pounds. Monster pike … Large spoons that are either silver-and-red or gold-and-red work well. The Flathead River is unique among the rivers in Montana in that it is really three rivers in one, with two main sections that are good for fishing. You will have the opportunity to see and photograph more than 100 different birds and animals, such as osprey, bald eagles, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, mule deer, coyote, and wild horses. Fly Fishing Flathead Valley Lakes The Flathead Valley has an abundance of freshwater. Caught 3 fish I have never caught on a fly rode before: Lake trout, Superior whitefish, and a sucker! The fishing on Flathead Lake this summer has been some of the best we have seen in years. The best time to fish for these beasts is during the spring and fall when they cruise the shallows. Koocanusa Lake runs as deep as 370 feet and is 90 miles in length, half of which we share with Canada. Last week we took an evening after work to get out on Greg's boat and chase some pike. The Pike and Perch are most active, and people are reporting good days. The broad Flathead Valley stretches off on the north and south sides of the lake. Come enjoy our Montana fishing charters, all of the Flathead Lake Charters was established in Woods Bay, Montana in 1979 by owner/guide Jeff Rach. The fish species in the lake consist primarily of lake trout, pike, yellow perch and whitefish, with some rainbow trout, bass, kokanee salmon and bull trout also found. My son Brandon and I went to a pike infested lake on the Flathead Reservation. Guides Eddie, Taylor, Justin and Haley Mindt spend hundreds of hours on the lake and river each year, and know every aspect of this fishery. When ice fishing in Montana, you’re only allowed to have two lines in the water at once on any given lake. Applications for a catch card are available at the FWP Region One office or online at http://fwp.mt.gov/fish/license/. For bait, try salmon eggs or worms for great results. Whether it is Walleye, Lake Trout, Northern Pike, Chinook Salmon, Smallmouth Bass, Paddlefish or more, you won’t find a more knowledgeable and eager group of guides ready to ensure your success on this huge body of water. The fish species in the lake consist primarily of lake trout, pike, yellow perch and whitefish, with some rainbow trout, bass, kokanee salmon and bull trout also found. Montana’s Flathead Lake is the largest freshwater lake boasting one of the cleanest lakes in the United States. Long deep runs and meandering tailouts can hold some impressive residential trout that forego the migrat ion down river to Flathead Lake in the fall. A heated cabin boat makes this an enjoyable fishing experience. Trout fishing is catch-and-release and pike must be over 24 inches to keep. Lake trout, lake whitefish and yellow perch are the most common non-natives fish in Flathead Lake. With killer sizes of over 20lbs in some cases, the lake has varieties of huge fish such as a … The largest island in Flathead Lake and one of the largest inland islands in the USA. While a fisherman can conceivably wade fish during this time, a boat is really still needed to reach these fly fishing spots. In addition to making sure you have fun fishing on Flathead Lake, we do everything for you. Flathead Lake Whitefish bite has picked up a little more. Due to the lakes size and beauty, sailboats are common on the lake, along with pleasure boats of all kinds. Lake … Worms and pink … We caught plenty of hammer handles and a couple decent ones on smelt. Overall, Flathead Lake is one of the premiere and recreational and fishing lakes in Montana. That said, the use of hard-shell and inflatable kayaks, inflatable paddleboards and other recreational inflatable boats are popular near the shore. Those fish species include Black Bullhead, Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Bull Trout, Kokanee, Lake Trout, Lake Whitefish, Largemouth Bass, Largescale Sucker, Longnose Dace, Longnose Sucker, Mottled Sculpin, Mountain Whitefish, Northern Pike, Northern Pike Minnow, Peamouth, Pumpkinseed, Pygmy Whitefish, Rainbow Trout, Redside Shiner, Slimy Sculpin, Smallmouth Bass, Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Westslope X Rainbow, White Sucker and Yellow Perch. After quite a spell of worrying about getting back across the lake with wind swept whitecaps, we decided to hug the shore on this small lake. Wild Horse Island, near Big Arm Bay, Flathead’s largest island, is a State Park on Flathead Lake. One final thought on pike fishing. The Grayling and Cutties are biting below that ice. Our main target species is the Kamloops, but a by catch of a big Bull is always welcome. dandy. This lake is 122,251 acres in size. As the waters start to warm up around March , fishing can pick up with the use of long nymph rigs with large weighted nymphs such as stoneflies followed by small er nymphs like lightning bugs , hot bead ed pheasant tails and zebra midges . Copyright 2002 - 2020 Big Sky Fishing.Com, How to Choose the Best Inflatable Boat for Your Needs, How to Protect Your Phone While Fishing or Floating, Wild Horse Island State Park on Flathead Lake. Basically, the tribes allow fishing year-round on the Flathead River. A large streamer for the fly fisherman or a spoon such as a daredevil for the spin fisherman work well. Typically, seeing the island’s wildlife is often nothing more than looking around. Somers, MT Flathead Lake Boat Ramp Great Northern Historical Trail, Somers, MT 59932. From the moment we welcome you aboard one of our fishing charter boats until we send you home with your catch that has been cleaned, filleted and packed in ice, we handle everything. When fishing, anglers can expect to catch a variety of fish including Lake Trout, Northern Pike… A heated cabin boat makes this an enjoyable fishing experience. The town of Polson sits on the south shore of the lake, while the popular and artsy town of Bigfork lies on the northeast corner. If hiking and photographing wildlife is of interest to you and the family, you’ll have the opportunity to see wild horses, big horn sheep, mule deer, eagles and osprey and other animals that call Wild Horse home. They are a highly entertaining and playful fish to chase and a delicious addition to the dinner table! We have been running guided trips on the Flathead River and the fishing has been pretty good. Some days are more productive than others abut still catching fish. After docking at the island you can leave the boat and embark on your personal hiking adventure. The lake is open for fishing year-round and Typically fishes best when water temps are below 60 degrees. South of Kalispell, the Flathead River slows considerably and branches off into numerous sloughs. Pablo National Wildlife Refuge is 2,500 acres of water, marsh, and upland grassland. Flathead Lake is located in Flathead County, Montana. Applications for a catch card are available at the FWP Region One office or online at. A good average fish on Fort Peck Reservoir will be somewhere in the 30″ range and weigh in at 8-12lbs. We are typically throwing large flies, often 10-14″ long, for big fish. Flathead Lake specifically offers excellent lake trout fishing opportunities. Nymphing is the game and it’s productive. It is popular for both fishing and pleasure boating, and its beautiful setting makes any day spent on the lake a rewarding one. While the dam did not create Flathead Lake, it does regulate the lakes water level, which receives the bulk of its water from the Flathead River and the Swan River. Stout gear and large streamers, fished just off the shoreline, especially in shallow bays, up to 10 feet of water, can grab some very large trout in unlikely places. The south end of Flathead Lake is a good place to fish for yellow perch and lake trout. The refuge provides nesting and resting areas for […] From June 21st to February 28th a person may take a single Bull Trout with a Catch Card* that can be acquired from Montana FWP Region 1. The lake itself is ringed by vacation homes of increasing size and elegance, as more and more individuals from outside Montana build exotic homes on the lake. The exception to this occurs in the fall, in September, when the trout come near the shoreline, providing enticing fly fishing opportunities. As a result, during low water years later in the summer, parts of the shoreline of Flathead Lake become exposed, leading to some headaches for boaters at some boat ramps. December 2 Fishing Report, Flathead River. This is northern pike country. We operate eight boats for Flathead Lake, each comfortably seating four to six passengers, as well as one boat that can seat up to 15 passengers for fishing, cruising, parties etc. Anyone who plans to fish on Flathead Lake needs a powerboat. It is superimposed on the irrigation reservoir managed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Flathead Irrigation Project. Sea kayakers also often venture across the lake. The lake trout in Flathead Lake can reach monstrous sizes, frequently exceeding twenty-pounds. It is native to Montana only in the Saskatchewan River drainage on the east side of Glacier Park. As always, a Montana fishing license is required to fish all Montana waters. Click here to Closed for the Season! The lake trout in Flathead Lake can reach monstrous sizes, frequently exceeding twenty-pounds. 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