going to Montana

[golfish]

hey all,
I'm taking the family to Montana for a few weeks in July. We rented a house in Bigfork. I think thats up on the north end of Flathead lake.

I've done a search but can't seem to find any sites like this and all the reports are from last year.

Any ideas on dropping a line would be great. I'm bringing a flyrod but I'm guessing its going to be all bait or lure fishing..trout for sure.

TIA

[gogreeenz4]

doooood your gonna be stokd its the land of trout i went last year july 24 and had the time of my life mostly strippd streamers (black) and matchd the hatch some times but with size 16 or 18 as in cali size 20 or 22 .. they were diggn the hopper pattern like a morrish hopper size 12 i got tons of browns on.. all the pictures below came from montana water ways..mostly the misoouri near criag and the smith near nowhere hahaha but best of luck worst come to worse toss nightcralwers and leeches your kill it

http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/8092/me6n.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/850/me6n.jpg/)

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/6852/me7a.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/59/me7a.jpg/)

http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/7531/me1gd.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/708/me1gd.jpg/)

http://img864.imageshack.us/img864/5039/me5juq.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/864/me5juq.jpg/)


http://img807.imageshack.us/img807/6287/me2cf.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/807/me2cf.jpg/)



i wear a size 12 shoe and my heal is lined up with the fishes tail in the shoe picture ..

[golfish]

thanks man,
We've been to Yellowstone 3 times in the past years but we're always camping and I'm always working my butt off so I never have time to fish. I plan to make time this year.

[dockboy]

My family has stayed 4 times out by Big Fork, in a small rental property not far from the Yellow Bay rec. area on Flathead. That is an absolutely beautiful part of the state. I learned to flyfish there, and haven't been back since I was a kid. Also was there during the big fires of 2000 when people in Missoula were driving aroudn is gas masks!
Flathead is fun. I've caught bows, West Slope cutthroat, and a big, mysterious pike minnow/squaw fish of unidentified origins out of there. The lake is clear and very deep, and has lake trout like Tahoe.
The most popular waters of the state are all in the southwest like the Missouri and sourrounding area are about 3-5 hours from Big Fork. Locally, you have lots of small creeks and what they call "small" rivers like the Swan to fish. The Swan is a beautiful river, and has good fishing for West Slope cutthroat. The Upper and Lower Swan Lake are great fisheries, lots of cutthroat, big rainbows, big pike, whitefish, and I believe bass in that lake.
If you have family Loon Lake is worth a shot. I remember catching yellow perch on a bare hook and a clover leaf off the dock at Loon by the dozens, and saw some good sized bass in there too. It has a cool rope swing for swimmers right in the dock area, don't know if its still there though.
Glacier is less than 2 hours away, more like an hour and quarter if I remember right. Glacier is amazing for scenery, not to mention you can park your car at a glacier-fed, bright blue creek and catch cutthroat right there! If you go to Glacier (highly recommended!) check out Logan Pass. I have never been anywhere like it, where whole herds of mountain goats and rams are literally 30 yards from the trail. The Road To The Sun is one of the most beautiful and scariest freaking roads you will ever drive, makes the LA crest and Tioga Pass weep in their insignificance.
Missoula is less than a 2 hours away, and there is tons of good fishing within an hour of Missoula. Kalispell, Missoula, and to a lesser extent Polson are your main population centers for shopping. The fishing and hunting section in the Wal Mart at Polson has more inventory than most Cali tackle shops! Everyone fishes trout there, but the bass and panfish can be really good too. The Flathead River is excellent fishing, and what they rate as "so-so" fisheries in Montana would probably end up in the top 50 in California!
Whats cool about flyfishing MT is the size of the fish, the numbers of them you might catch, and the size of the flies you use. You can fish a big size 4 or 6 Stimulator or Madam-X, and catch tons of fish. Stuff you will never throw in Cali. I use to catch tons of cutts just trolling a nymph behind a paddleboat. When I go back, I'm bringing a tube. There are so many small lakes and even the bays on Flathead that would be great for that. There was a small fly shop in Big Fork last time I was there, don't know if thats the case now. Missoula and I think Kalispell are your main fishing supply areas.
NW Mt is grizzly country. Be careful when you are out fishing, especially if you are by yourself. In that part of the world people aren't attacked by bears. They are "consumed". Be safe, don't fish without a buddy in remote areas, and do not leave food in your car. Its relatively rare for any bear to attack people, but these aren't the black bears you encounter in Cali. They are 500lbs of fur, claws, and bad attitude. They don't want to eat or attack you, but people die every year because they do stupid things with grizzlies. Use common sense, and you will be fine. People don't seem to realize leaving Big Mac remains in the car in bear country doesn't fall under common sense.
I really miss Flathead, if you can't tell. I love Tahoe, but Flathead is something more to me. The people are some of the friendliest you'll ever meet, and unlike California there are no throngs of tourists at every stop. Chances are you will get to your destination (outside the Glacier area of course) and maybe a few locals will be around. Within a 6 hours drive you can be in Yellowstone, but honestly the Flathead region has tons of fishing and outdoor opportunities. Even Canada is close. B.C. is like a 3 hours drive from Big Fork, and some of the best cutthroat fishing I've ever experienced was a hour north of the border from MT.

[golfish]

Ok, so I've been to MT a few times and always loved it. This trip was great but WT-Hec is that state thinking? Unless you own a huge house on the lake or river, or a boat (I don't like boats) your limited to where you can fish. We drove around Flathead lake, the largest fresh water lake west of the Miss and found 6 state parks. Those parks are for boat launch and camping, there is very little space, if any to fish and the rest is private land. I guess If I had 3 million bucks I could buy a small house on Whitefish and be happy:LOL:

BTW, we stayed in Lakeside, just accross the lake from Bigforks.

There's nothing like having a Bald Eagle take a pooo on your SUV from 50 yards above you. I was 5 seconds away from getting out:)

FWIW, I wouldn't change a thing, MT is a great state with great people. I loved every minute. I proved one thing that I always knew..Beer and GOOD fireworks don't mix well:EyePop: