Glacier’s Borderlands
Seasons and Hatches
As on other freestone rivers, weather and the nuances of runoff make or break the fishing conditions on the North and Middle forks. Both systems are undammed and during years of heavy snowfall, spring runoff pushes a surge of muddy water downstream, altering channels and rearranging logjams. Look for runoff to recede between late June and mid-July, but keep in touch with area fly shops to avoid running into hazards.
On a side note, if you’re trekking through the standing, burned forests or along overgrown riverbanks, remember the wildlife that calls this area home doesn’t live by park boundaries or property lines. Be cautious when hiking through blind spots on the chance a moose or bear might be nearby. While it’s great to see nature up close, these creatures prefer a substantial buffer zone and you don’t want to find yourself eye-to-eye with an irritated, four-legged beast that outweighs you by several hundred pounds.
Both the North and Middle forks are notable for their surreal clarity. Almost wholly comprised of high-elevation snowmelt, both systems have a soft turquoise hue to them in the summer, like something from your imagination. In fact, if your imagination dreamed up a vision of a perfect-looking trout stream, it would likely look like one of the forks of the Flathead.
This is for me the main attraction of the Flathead system. If you’re looking to catch the biggest fish of your life, then it may not be for you. On the flip side, if you value solitude and scenery, and find as much beauty in a 12-inch native cutthroat as you do in a 20-inch tailwater rainbow, then the Middle and North forks may be up your alley.
Many of the cutthroat in the forks are migratory fish that make their way in the spring up from Flathead Lake to spawn. Afterward, some fish immediately travel back to the lake, while others reside in the system through the summer and find their way back to the lake before winter. Aside from the occasional, larger, postspawn fish, most resident North and Middle forks fish average 12 to 14 inches.
Despite their pristine condition, the forks are not bug factories. The glacial terrain surrounding these two drainages lacks the nutrients needed to foster massive aquatic insect life, so huge clouds of mayflies or caddis bouncing as far as the eye can see are infrequent incidents at best.
There are a wide variety of aquatic insects and you will encounter isolated emergences of mayflies, caddis, and stoneflies. Just don’t expect massive hatches akin to the Madison or Missouri. Most of the time, spotting a bug here and there is enough to clue you into what’s available, and on the North and Middle forks, a few morsels is all it takes to put the fish in a feeding mood.
Golden Stoneflies and Yellow Sallies make appearances on both rivers just after runoff and through the summer, while PMDs and Green Drakes are some of the most prevalent mayflies. Caddis emergences are sometimes spotty, but that doesn’t stop fish from attacking a simple pattern like an Elk-hair Caddis or small Stimulator.
The sparse bug activity contributes to the stereotype of cutthroat trout as opportunistic feeders. Few naturals on the water, combined with a condensed feeding season, make attractor and terrestrial patterns the bread and butter on these waters.
To that point, Guide Brendan Friel told me he stays away from attractors tied with dubbing or other absorbent materials because after a few runs through rough water, they don’t float, whereas foam flies don’t have that problem.
A #6-10 Taylor’s Fat Albert is a local favorite. Designed specifically for fast-water areas, this buggy foam fly rides on the surface even after dozens of dunks in the nastiest whitewater. Also bring Stimulators, hoppers, ants, beetles, parachute Adams, and small foam Chernobyl Ants and you’ll have your bases covered.
Nymph droppers also work, and there’s no need to use anything trickier than beadhead Prince Nymphs or Hare’s Ears. I rarely bother dunking a nymph because the trout rise so readily to dry flies.
Given the average size of the trout, and river terrain, fishing a weight-forward floating line on a 3- or 4-weight rod is a good starting point. However, if you’re battling wind or struggling to turn over foam flies, bump up to a fast-action 5-weight. I prefer to fish short leaders when the conditions allow and the fish aren’t particularly leader-shy, so 2X to 4X, 71/2-foot to 9-foot tapered leaders work just fine.
One often overlooked area on these two systems is the heavier, faster water. You shouldn’t have trouble finding fish around the soft-water seams, eddies, and riffle drop-offs, but sometimes the largest fish reside where the water is most turbulent.
The deep, slow pools of both the forks are enticing, and it’s hard to resist the temptation to strip streamers in the hopes of finding the river’s larger specimens. If streamer fishing is an itch you need to scratch, I recommend a stout 6-weight rod and sinking-tip line, as a weighted fly alone might not reach the bottom. Short 0X to 2X leaders will also serve you well. Woolly Buggers, small Muddler imitations (a #4-8 Marabou Muddler is one of my favorites), and anything else that looks like a small leech or baitfish works great.
Both watersheds hold native bull trout, a protected char species that’s off-limits to angling in most parts of Montana. If you’re not intentionally fishing for them and accidentally hook one, count yourself lucky and gently release it.
The North and Middle forks of the Flathead are terrific resources overshadowed by the grandiosity of Glacier National Park. If you’re in the area, take the time to explore the riffles and plunging pools of both systems. Moreover, take a child with you. I guarantee your fledgling angler will remember the experience as a vacation highlight.
Ben Romans lives in Boise, Idaho, with his wife Heather and son Samuel. His first book is Montana’s Best Fly Fishing (Headwater Books, Sept. 2010)
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Arend’s Fly Shop
(406) 892-2033
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