Adventures With Amy | Montana 2004

Montana 2004: Flathead Lake

Flathead is a vast lake--28 miles long and up to 15 miles wide--the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi. The deepest part of the lake in in Yellow Bay, up to 370 feet deep! The lake was created by a glacier that scooped out its bed 12,000 years ago. The lake is fed by the Flathead River's three branches to the north and drained by dam-controlled Flathead River to the south.

Approaching Flathead Lake from the East.

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All of our pre-trip information indicated that a boat would be required to catch a trout from the lake. Our first day of fishing we decided to forgo the boat and try fishing from the shore. As you can see below, I was able to catch two trout! (Joe caught no fish.)

Catching the smaller trout proved to be a challenge, especially after the first one got away after I had it close enough to see. Another fish pulled and tugged and swam vigorously but I eventually caught it! He was a squirmy fish and we released it back into the water to swim away. Strangely, after spending most of the day trying to catch a fish both of these were not caught until after 10PM!

A fishing permit is required to fish on Flathead Lake. We were able to obtain permits at the local Wal-Mart that allowed us to fish the southern portion of the lake.(The southern portion of the lake is in the Flathead Indian Reservation.) The fish species in the lake consist primarily of lake trout and whitefish, with some rainbow trout, northern pike and bull trout also found. The lake trout in Flathead Lake can reach monstrous sizes, frequently exceeding twenty-pounds. An average lake trout is considered to be in the three to eight pound range and are allegedly caught quite frequently.

During our visit the number of Bull Trout in the lake were being protected. All fishermen and fishergals were required to release any caught bull trouts. Identifying the fish, among other trout, can be difficult! Although I am not certain, I think the first fish is a Brook Trout and the second fish is a Lake Trout. Click here to view the differences between Bull Trout, Lake Trout, Brook Trout and Brown Trout.

Although we would have liked to, we never got to try fly fishing in one of the many rivers or fishing from a boat out on the lake.

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