61 miles
Montana · freestone
61 miles
Intermediate · Wade / boat
Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Bull Trout, Rainbow Trout, Arctic Grayling
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) | ||||||||||||
| Blue-winged Olive (Baetis) | ||||||||||||
| Caddis (Trichoptera) | ||||||||||||
| Golden Stonefly (Hesperoperla) | ||||||||||||
| Pale Morning Dun (Ephemerella) | ||||||||||||
| Salmonfly (Pteronarcys californica) | ||||||||||||
| 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 South Fork fly list →2 listed points. Map is Vellum land and Teal water — a desk chart, not a satellite.
Flathead National Forest trailhead 100 feet above Meadow Creek Gorge. Parking for stock and foot parties, vault toilets, pack bridge over the gorge. USFS: 47.83235556, -113.42009167. Primary road access to the wilderness South Fork. Open about May 15 to November 30.
Forest Service day-use parking at Spotted Bear Ranger Station. Footbridge to the South Fork beach. USFS: 47.92425834, -113.5236167. About 55 miles south of Hungry Horse on East Side Reservoir Road 38.
Western Fishing District. Montana fishing license required. South Fork Flathead and tributaries from headwaters to the Flathead confluence, not including Hungry Horse Reservoir: single-pointed hooks only. Upstream from Hungry Horse Reservoir (Crossover Boat Ramp south to Youngs and Danaher creeks): no intentional angling for bull trout except catch-and-release July 1 through July 31 with a Hungry Horse/South Fork Flathead bull trout Catch Card; angling prohibited from the mouths of Gordon Creek and Little Salmon Creek downstream 300 yards June 15 through September 30; no bull trout angling in tributaries or Big Salmon Lake. Meadow Creek Bridge to Spotted Bear footbridge and tributaries: catch-and-release for cutthroat trout. Hungry Horse Dam downstream to the mouth and tributaries: catch-and-release for cutthroat; rainbow trout 5 daily and in possession; extended season December 1 to the third Saturday in May with artificial lures and/or maggots only. Verify the current FWP booklet and wilderness food-storage orders.
The South Fork of the Flathead is the Bob Marshall Wilderness river that runs north from the Youngs and Danaher creek junction to Hungry Horse Reservoir. The Wild and Scenic designation ends at the reservoir. A short tailwater continues from Hungry Horse Dam to the Flathead mainstem near Hungry Horse.
This is westslope cutthroat water. Arctic grayling persist in some wilderness reaches. Bull trout are native. The dam tailwater also holds rainbow trout. Road access to the wilderness river is a long gravel drive to Meadow Creek Trailhead or Spotted Bear Ranger Station. Most of the upper river is trail or pack-string country.
There is no live USGS mainstem gauge on the wilderness South Fork. Gauge 12362500 (South Fork Flathead near Columbia Falls) reports the tailwater below Hungry Horse Dam only.
Meadow Creek to the Spotted Bear footbridge is catch-and-release for cutthroat. A Hungry Horse/South Fork bull trout catch card is required if you fish for bull trout in the listed July window. Confirm the current FWP Western District exceptions before you pack in.
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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