87 miles
Montana · freestone
87 miles
Advanced · Wade / boat
Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Bull Trout, Rainbow Trout, Mountain Whitefish
August on the hatch chart — names and sizes, not a catch report.
Filled months are when that insect is on the chart. Best months for this river are lit.
| Insect | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midge (Chironomidae) | ||||||||||||
| Skwala stonefly | ||||||||||||
| Blue-winged Olive (Baetis) | ||||||||||||
| March Brown (Rhithrogena) | ||||||||||||
| Caddis (Trichoptera) | ||||||||||||
| Salmonfly (Pteronarcys californica) | ||||||||||||
| Golden Stonefly (Hesperoperla) | ||||||||||||
| Pale Morning Dun (Ephemerella) | ||||||||||||
| Terrestrials | ||||||||||||
| October Caddis (Dicosmoecus) | ||||||||||||
| Mahogany Dun (Paraleptophlebia) |
Hatch-chart nymphs, dries, and streamers for this river. Not a crowdsourced catch report.
Open the Flathead River Middle Fork fly list →3 listed points. Map is Vellum land and Teal water — a desk chart, not a satellite.
Forest Service river access on the Wild and Scenic Middle Fork with designated parking, vault toilet, and a native-surface ramp. USFS: 48.34392738, -113.6415197. Recreational section along U.S. 2.
Forest Service launch on the lower Middle Fork. Most-used put-in above John Stevens Canyon. Designated parking. USFS: 48.48052587, -113.8473683. No take-out at this site.
Forest Service day-use site with designated parking, vault toilet, and a native-surface ramp. USFS: 48.5047169, -113.9925917. Near live USGS 12358500. Overnight camping and fires are not allowed.
Western Fishing District. Montana fishing license required. Middle Fork Flathead from headwaters to the North Fork confluence near Blankenship Bridge: single-pointed hooks only; catch-and-release for cutthroat trout; rainbow trout 5 daily and in possession; closed to angling June 1 through September 30 within a 150-yard radius of the Bear Creek stream mouth; extended season open December 1 to the third Saturday in May with artificial lures and/or maggots only. Montana/Glacier National Park boundary is the ordinary high-water mark on the park side of the river. Bull trout: Western District standard is closed to angling unless a listed exception applies; release promptly. Verify the current FWP fishing regulations booklet and Glacier National Park fishing rules if you leave the river onto park land.
The Middle Fork of the Flathead starts at the junction of Strawberry and Bowl creeks in the Bob Marshall Wilderness and runs about 87 miles to the North Fork near Blankenship Bridge. Congress classed the upper river Wild through Bear Creek. From Bear Creek to the confluence it is Recreational water along U.S. Highway 2 and the Glacier National Park boundary.
The park boundary is the ordinary high-water mark on the park side. A Montana fishing license is required. Glacier rules apply if you fish from park land or bridges.
Westslope cutthroat and bull trout are the native fish. Rainbow trout show in the lower canyon. John Stevens Canyon below Moccasin Creek is whitewater. Most anglers float the recreational miles after runoff and wade the edges at Forest Service ramps.
Named Forest Service access on the recreational river includes Paola, Moccasin Creek, and West Glacier. Live USGS gauge 12358500 is the Middle Fork near West Glacier. Confirm the current FWP Western District exceptions, including the Bear Creek mouth closure.
Tailwater
Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout
Freestone
Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout · Brook Trout
Tailwater
Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout
Freestone
Cutthroat Trout · Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout
Freestone
Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout · Westslope Cutthroat Trout
Freestone
Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout · Cutthroat Trout
If something here is thin or wrong, add what you know. It goes to review before it publishes.
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