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Mack Days Fishing Events are sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and sanctioned by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks.

  
Lake Trout Fishing Tips...

Flathead Lake is a large lake.  It is a good idea to talk to other anglers-bait shops-in the area to get an idea of where to go and what to use.  A bathymetric map of the lake is an important tool to have if you are unfamiliar with the lake depths and areas. Give us a call for information. (406-883-2888 ex. 7294)

Lake trout limits are 50 lake trout per day under 30" and 1 over 36". There is a slot - 30"-36"--these fish are illegal to keep and are to be put back.  The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have a special $12 per year license available for anglers for use on the South half of the lake. You may purchase the license from vendors who sell Montana Fishing Licenses.

Lake Trout in Flathead Lake have a predatory nature.  They are fish and mysis shrimp eaters. The smaller lake trout seen to key in on the mysis while the larger lake trout target the bait fish (northern pike minnow, perch, small whitefish, etc.) and the mysis. These fish have such a huge appetite that they have been hooked with full stomachs, the tail of an unlucky fish sticking out of their mouth, and they will still go after a lure.  Every day is different on the lake.  Some days you can catch them with your  "special" lure and the next day-nothing. You have to be aggressive and use different techniques all of the time.  Don't wait for them to come to you-sometimes that works but you will be more successful if you  go after them. Take a more active approach.  Change what you are doing. For instance-years ago anglers used trolling rods with thick wire line and lots of weight-today some say thick wire line causes friction in with the water and makes it harder to get deep and the heavy thick rods are not sensitive enough for the light bite of the smaller fish. It might be worth the investment of a lighter pole and some of the newer line that is available.  Lake trout can be caught using spinning gear, flies, flat fish, spoons, jigs, and cut bait.  Tipping your jig or hook with a piece of  cut bait (northern pike minnow, sucker, or perch-you cannot use salmonids for bait on Flathead Lake) can sometimes give you an advantage. Some anglers believe using cut bait that is native to the body of water works to your advantage. You may need to use a swivel to keep the line from twisting.  Talk to a local bait dealer to find out the different methods to attach the cut bait to a lure.  Using scent oils on the cut bait can also be helpful. Change your bait  often.  Keep bait on that is not water logged.  Some success is also seen by  anglers using pork link sausage as bait. This works well when fishing  from shore and is also being used when jigging for fish. You have to work with it using rubber bands to keep it attached to the hook.  The lake trout seem to have favorite areas in the lake during the different seasons-water temperature and . Your fishing tactics or strategies have to change with the seasons.  You may save some time finding them by talking to locals, fishing a guided trip, or talking to tackle shop personal. Local shops would be Zimmer's Tackle in Pablo, Mt.-406-675-0068, Ronan Sports & Western-Ronan, Mt.-406-676-3701, Snappy's Sports-Kalispell, Mt.-406-257-7525, Bob Wards & Sons Sporting Goods-Missoula, Mt.-406-728-3221, Brady's Sportman's Surplus-Missoula, Mt.-406-721-3992, Wholesale Sports-Missoula, Mt.-406-523-9000, or telephone us at 406-883-2888 ex. 7294.

Lake trout are fall spawners.  Temperature, light and wind are factors which contribute to the onset and duration of spawning activities.  Lake trout spawn on offshore shoals, drop-offs, ledges,  or steep slopes, and points near islands or the shoreline. During this time they will be concentrated in the areas described and will be easier to find.  Most anglers fish using the jigging method during this season.

Anglers can be successful vertical jigging-putting your lure on the bottom and jigging up- for lake trout or casting towards shore and jigging as they reel back towards the boat. Jigging action does not have to be high and hard jerks-try different jigging actions if they aren't hitting. Use a 6 or 8# test line.  Most anglers feel confident with it but if  you don't go to the heavier line.  You will have less resistance in the water with the lighter line and the action of your lures or jigs will be better.  Try different speeds-slow and shorter, softer, up and down motions-if that doesn't work go to a faster, harder motion. Some days out there you have to try everything to find what is going to work.  Be versatile. Jigging areas with reasonably sheltered spots on Flathead Lake are off Woods Bay, Yellow Bay, Blue Bay, and West shore State Park.  Other areas are the river delta area, Conrad Point, Painted Rocks, Cedar Island, Rocky Point,  Wildhorse Island, the Narrows, Finley Point, and Gravel Bay. If the fish are still not hitting on your jig try different colors and different depths. Try the glow colors in the deeper water-color is important.  Jig up off the bottom a couple of reel turns.   If that doesn't work try going to the bottom and jigging up off of it. Match your jig with the depth-use heavier jigs the deeper you go.  Lift your jig higher so fish can see it from a distance. A depth finder is a great tool to have on the lake. It can tell you the exact depth the fish are at, give you an idea of how many there may be, and whether they are near structure on the bottom or suspended in the water column.  Lake trout will lay low and hold tight to the bottom so watch carefully to find them. If you are not catching fish you can see on the fish finder-especially a large school, they may not be lake trout.   Areas that are steep, rocky, drop off, or have bait fish in the area are good spots to begin your search for them.  Once you find the depth they are holding to you can target it and anchor over the fish for jigging or troll around the areas where you have spotted the bait fish.

Trolling for lake trout is a good technique to use and can work well for any angler regardless of experience or age.  The lake trout typically look for a constant water temperature between 40 and 52 degrees F. Good spots for trolling are the Narrows, Conrad Point to Painted Rocks, Wildhorse Island-Cromwell Island, Yellow Bay Point North or anywhere the shorelines are steep.  You might try to find the depth where fish are and keep to the same depth while trolling. Trolling can be done using flat lines or downriggers. Remember that lake trout are not always hard hitters.   Check your line every so often to see if you might have a fish on. The larger lake trout sometimes will not hit very hard and will surprise an angler before they know it.  Some anglers say that the larger lakers will not spend a lot of energy going after bait so troll slowly.  If you don't have success then speed up a little.  During the warmer weather most of them may move out to the deeper areas of the lake but there will still be a few in the shallower areas feeding. You don't have to have expensive trolling equipment to troll. There is a different type of method being used in other areas. It may work here. Try using this light tackle technique.  Use 6# test line-a light action rod, three- way swivel, and a 3 oz. weight.  Tie two 4 foot pieces of line to your three-way swivel.  Use a 3 oz. weight on one line and a light lure on the other.  Drop your line to the bottom and reel up a couple of cranks or go down to the 40-60 feet level and start trolling.  The lighter line is less resistant and is supposedly easier to get deeper.  You may have to experiment to find out what works for you but once you spend the time doing that you will become a consistently successful lake trout angler. 

Knowing the habits of the fish will help you as an angler. The temperature of the water may be a key. They seem to bite aggressively in the early morning and late afternoon-evening.  Lake trout will concentrate in areas where there are bait fish or mysis shrimp-you may find a few of them in  shallow areas even during the warmer weather especially during the time when the perch are in the bays. (Late June-July)  Watch for surface activity where baitfish may be. Fish around the weed beds where the perch will be.  Find steep banks, ledges, or drop offs,  and troll close to them.  Fish will concentrate in these areas because of the protection it gives them.  They can go deep to escape sunlight, to feed on the bait fish, or they will use these areas in the fall for spawning.  They seem to hit hardest in the early mornings  between daylight and 10:00 or 11:00 a.m.  That doesn't mean they won't hit at other times of the day but just that  the early morning  bite is a little more productive. 

Lakes stratify into three distinct layers during the warm weather.  They will remain that way until fall.  The middle layer of water, where there is a large concentration of dissolved oxygen, is call the thermocline and can generally be found from 10-80 feet down.  This is not only an oxygen rich layer but is also a temperature layer as well and fish relate to it because of comfort and the fact that their bodies function better in this layer.  This layer is where you can find bait fish and the predator fish looking for the bait fish.  Lake trout like temperatures  around 50 degrees  and are most active in temperatures of 43-53 degrees.  Some say that fish will rarely go out of this level except to feed and then will return to that depth or level.  Thermoclines will change from day to day depending on the wind and wave actions.  Anglers who are trolling may try finding the thermocline and fishing in the depths of it.

Most fish can see in color and you need to remember that when fishing Flathead Lake especially in the deeper areas.  When light travels through water the water absorbs the energy of the wavelengths of the color.  Warmer colors fade out and will appear black as light penetrates the water column.  Red is almost completely absorbed within the first 15-20 feet.  Orange penetrates to 30-40 feet, and yellow and chartreuse to 60-70 feet, and green and blue will be visible for as deep as the light penetrates.  White will turn gray at about 60 feet and black is always black.  Cloudy days or murky water effects how far the color wavelengths  penetrate the water.  They fade in this order-red, orange, yellow, green, and blue.  Fish in the deeper water will see blacks, grays, blues, and greens and shallow water fish will see all colors.  White, silver,  or glow colors, flies or lures with sparkly tails or colors will work well in the deeper water.  Fish also smell so use some scent oil and cut bait on your lure for some additional insurance. 

It is illegal to target or harvest bull trout in Flathead Lake.  Westslope cutthroat trout are catch and release in the lake.  It is the anglers responsibility to know how to identify these fish.  If you need information on fish identification or if you have tips or information you feel will be helpful to other anglers telephone us at  406-883-2888 ext. 7294 or 406-752-5501.  Bull trout will have a squared off tail, no black spots on the dorsal (top fin on the back), and will have colored spots on the back and sides.  These spots can be pale red, orange, pink, or can even be yellowish.  The smaller bull trout are hard to identify.  Please look carefully are each fish you decide to harvest.  If you don't know-let it go.

We encourage all anglers to be safe.  Check local weather conditions before going out on the lake.  Be weather wise, and tell someone your plans, let them know where you are going and when you plan to return. Be aware of clouds and wind direction.  If you see a storm approaching give yourself plenty of time to reach your launch area or a safe place.  During high wind-wave activity you may want to wait out the storm on the back side of an island, in a bay,  or on shore.  Check your fuel supply before leaving, and carry extra fuel.  Make sure your boat is in good working condition and that you have proper safety gear on board. Safety gear could include the following: life jackets for every person on board, throwable device (life ring or floating cushion),  adequate clothing, first aid kit, high calorie snacks, drinking water, visual signaling device (flares, flag, flash light), cell phone (place in a zip lock bag), tools and spare parts for boat motor, extra rope, sun screen, oars,  fire extinguisher, whistle or horn, paddles, and bailing bucket.  Practice the three C's- caution, courtesy, and common sense. Remember that alcohol impairs your ability to make good decisions.  It is unlawful to operate or be in actual physical control of a boat while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.   Safe boating begins with you-please be careful.

  since 9/18/04