Fishing the
Middle Fork Flathead River
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Salmon
Forks Outfitters / Wilderness Fly Fishing : Fly fish the
South Fork Flathead. Horseback into our Wilderness fishing camp, five & seven
day fishing trips, very remote, great fishing, no crowds. Outfitter #1990.
The Middle Fork of the Flathead River, like its cousins the North
Fork and the South
Fork, is fed predominantly by snowmelt. This keeps the level
of nutrients in the river low. As a result, the Middle Fork is not noted
as a top trout stream.
That said, the wilderness portion of the Middle Fork contains a healthy
amount of decent sized cutthroats up to 16 inches. And they aren't picky
about what they eat. The fishing pressure in the wilderness section is
very low compared to other Montana waters, and cutthroats themselves
are not known as the most finicky fish around.
The result is that a fishing excursion into the wilderness portion of
the Middle Fork, whether it be by foot, plane, or horse, provides outstanding
scenery, chance encounters with the local fauna (this area is prime Grizzly
Bear habitat, so be prepared), and solid action for average sized fish.
For the fly fisherman, pretty much any dry and bushy fly, floated around
the usual likely spots will produce consistent results. Another technique
to try is to use a weighted sink tip line, dragging wet flies or streamers
through the deeper pockets and pools that are found periodically along
the river.
Like the North Fork
Flathead River, the Middle Fork is prime water for
the bull trout. These fish, which are illegal to intentionally fish for
or take by the way, are not picky about what they eat. While fishing for
cutthroat trout in pools, especially if using streamers, an angler has
the opportunity to hook into one of these monster fish, which frequently
get up to twenty pounds.
Below Essex, the fishing on the Middle Fork dries up considerably. While
there are numerous cutthroats, most tend to be in the 8-10 inch range.
Action will be fast and furious for these fish, but the results may are
likely to be less than desired for the angler pursuing larger fish.
Larger cutthroats can be found in this section, but it will usually
require a hefty hike along the river or a float trip using a raft to
find the spots that hold the larger fish. While fishing pressure is generally
light along this portion of the river, and access for the wade fisherman
is excellent, as a general rule, the bigger fish will be found in the
best structure - particularly in the many very deep pools that are found
behind the massive rocks that lie in the river - as far away as possible
from the easiest and most heavily used access sites.
Next Page : Floating
the Middle Fork Flathead River
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