58 miles
Montana · freestone
58 miles
Intermediate · 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 North Fork fly list →4 listed points. Map is Vellum land and Teal water — a desk chart, not a satellite.
Flathead National Forest river access on the Wild and Scenic North Fork. Designated parking, vault toilet, and a slide to launch and retrieve watercraft. USFS: 48.87469672, -114.3739224. About 45 miles up North Fork Road (CR 486).
Forest Service day-use site at Polebridge with designated parking, vault toilet, and a native-surface ramp. USFS: 48.78255695, -114.2829519. About 35 miles north of Columbia Falls on North Fork Road.
Forest Service campground with a boat ramp on the North Fork. USFS: 48.5998, -114.1621. The 150-yard Big Creek mouth closure (June 1 to September 30) applies at this tributary. Day-use fee at the river access.
Forest Service day-use site with designated parking, vault toilet, and a concrete ramp. USFS: 48.49243, -114.12598. About 10 miles north of Columbia Falls. Near live USGS 12355500.
Western Fishing District. Montana fishing license required. North Fork Flathead from headwaters to the Middle 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 Big Creek stream mouth unless posted at a greater distance; 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 middle of the river. Bull trout: Western District standard is closed to angling unless a listed exception applies; release promptly. Standard Western District rivers and streams season is the third Saturday in May through November 30 except as listed. Verify the current FWP fishing regulations booklet.
The North Fork of the Flathead is the Wild and Scenic boundary river between Flathead National Forest on the west bank and Glacier National Park on the east. The designated reach runs from the Canadian border to the Middle Fork at Blankenship Bridge, about 58 miles of braided, glacial freestone in Montana. The park boundary is the middle of the river. Forest Service and Glacier rules differ once you step ashore.
Westslope cutthroat hold the clear side channels. Bull trout use the mainstem as migratory water. Rainbow trout and mountain whitefish share the lower miles toward Glacier Rim. Runoff usually peaks in June. Wade fishing opens up as the river drops in July and August.
Named Forest Service river access sits on the North Fork Road (County Road 486): Ford, Polebridge, Big Creek Campground, and Glacier Rim. Live USGS gauge 12355500 reports the North Fork near Columbia Falls. Do not use 12358500; that station is the Middle Fork at West Glacier.
Single-pointed hooks only. Cutthroat are catch-and-release. The 150-yard radius at the mouth of Big Creek is closed to angling June 1 through September 30 unless posted farther out. Confirm the current Montana FWP Western District exceptions before you fish.
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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