Flathead Lake Fishing Guides and Conditions, Montana

About the Flathead Lake

Flathead Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, running twenty-eight miles south from the Flathead River delta to Polson under the wall of the Mission Mountains. It is deep, cold and exceptionally clear, and it sits at the centre of one of the more closely watched fisheries management stories in the West.

Lake trout dominate the catch. They were introduced a century ago, expanded dramatically after mysis shrimp were established in the system, and are now the main target for anglers and simultaneously the main problem for the native fish. Both the state and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes actively encourage lake trout harvest, and there are organised removal events.

The native fish are the other half of the story. Bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout are present, both are of conservation concern, and the rules around them are strict and specific. Anyone fishing here should read the current regulations carefully rather than assume, because they differ from most of Montana and because the southern half of the lake lies within the Flathead Reservation and is managed under tribal rules and permits.

Lake whitefish and yellow perch are abundant and provide excellent everyday fishing, and northern pike hold in the weedy bays and the river delta.

Scale is worth stating plainly. Flathead covers close to two hundred square miles and reaches nearly four hundred feet deep, and the wind can build serious water on it in an afternoon. A boat adequate for a Montana reservoir is not necessarily adequate here.

The gauge below reports lake elevation. Flathead is regulated at Polson, filled through early summer and drawn down through autumn, and the swing is enough to change shoreline access and where fish hold along the drop-offs.

Access

Polson and the south shore: ramps and services, within the Flathead Reservation.
Wayfarers, Yellow Bay and Finley Point state parks: ramps and camping on the east shore.
Somers and Lakeside: north and west shore access.
Big Arm and Elmo: western shore state park access.
The Flathead River delta at the north end is shallower, weedier water.
Kalispell and Polson have full services and guides.
Note: the southern half is within the Flathead Reservation. Tribal permits apply.

Seasons

Winter: lake trout and perch, with limited ice in the sheltered bays.
Spring: lake trout accessible in shallower water and perch in the bays.
Summer: deep lake trout, whitefish, and the clearest water of the year.
Fall: the drawdown, feeding lake trout and very few boats.