PERFECT MONTANA DESTINATION
If you have been thinking about traveling to Montana and wondering where the best place is to see all the sights and do all the things, look no further. Whitefish, Montana is the perfect destination for your next trip. While each season has its perks, we LOVE summer! You can go fly fishing, hike, bike, camp, swim, explore, kayak, go boating, relax by the lake, pick huckleberries, or even go rock climbing. The list of activities is as endless as the forests in this part of the state.
Located about 30 minutes from the west entrance to Glacier National Park, Whitefish stuns its visitors with 360-degree beauty. Most folks that visit this area already have a trip to the National Park locked down on their itinerary and we recommend that you do!
FLY FISHING THE FLATHEAD RIVER
The Flathead River runs through the Flathead Valley, about 15 minutes east of Whitefish. This is an excellent river for a fly fishing trip. The Flathead River is not a small piece of water. It consists of three separate forks that come from the mountains to the north and northeast. They become the main stem of the Flathead just outside of Glacier National Park near Blankenship Bridge. The river is fed primarily from rain and snowmelt and is lined on the bottom with river rock. This combo gives the river its trademark crystal clear blue color.
The cold clean mountain water of the Flathead River and lake system is home to a wide variety of fish species. But we are particularly interested in the trout that live there. These waters are the ultimate habitat for the native westslope cutthroat, rainbow, bull trout, and even the mountain whitefish.
- Cutthroat trout: Westslope cutthroat trout are native to the waters of the Flathead River. They are a spotted fish with a notorious bright orange gill plate, giving the look of a cut throat. The cutthroat trout is protected on many of the rivers that we fish, meaning that you must safely release every cutthroat that you catch.
- Rainbow trout: Rainbow trout are native to the McCloud River of California. At some point in our history they were introduced as a sport fish. They are a hard fighting fish and certainly fun to catch. Rainbow trout can also grow very large. The state record rainbow trout was caught with conventional tackle in 1997 just below Libby Dam. It weighed a whopping 33.1 pounds.
- Bull trout: Another fish native to the waters of Montana is the bull trout. They are listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. Meaning that they must be immediately released unharmed. Most places you are not even allowed to specifically target them. It is always a treasure to see one of these beauties.
- Mountain whitefish: Whitefish are another native fish to the waters of Montana. These silver colored fish are not a trout but part of the salmonid family. Generally they don’t fight quite as hard as a trout but they still bend the rod!
WHEN TO VISIT WHITEFISH, MONTANA
As we mentioned before, Whitefish is excellent to visit year round. There are draws here all year depending on your interests and activities.
Spring (March – June): Many of the small lakes still have enough ice to get out on the hardwater for some fishing. The Flathead River is also a great option for fishing before the snow starts its annual melt. Spring fishing on the river is a great time to hook into a hefty migratory cutthroat that spends its summer living in Flathead Lake. There is also still some spring skiing going on at Whitefish Mountain Resort. May and June are our typical runoff season and can affect which waters we fish. Also, a lot of businesses remain closed, waiting until summer to open for peak season.
Summer (July – August): Summer is peak season around here. Every day is gorgeous sunshine and blue skies. Fishing is excellent on the rivers and lakes. All the businesses are open. The Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park will be plowed all the way through. Nightly live music at many of the local bars and restaurants. The sun typically rises around 5 am and does not set until around 10 pm. You will have many hours of daylight to see all the sights. Try to make it outside of town and see if you can stay up late enough until it gets dark. The stars are incredible!
Fall (September – November): September has been gaining popularity in the last several years and for good reason. Most kids have started school already, so there are fewer people around. The mornings are often cool and brisk, but warm up to the perfect temperature by mid-afternoon. Evenings are perfect to spend gathered around a campfire. The fish also love this temperature change after the hot August nights of summer. By around mid-September we start to welcome the leaves changing color. Fall is our personal favorite season in Montana!
Winter (December – February): Time to hibernate! Winter brings snow, cold temps, and darkness. In stark contrast to our summer of light, we only see the sun for about 8 hours a day. It tends to be pretty cloud covered for a lot of this season as well. But with the snow comes ski season. We have two ski hills in the Flathead Valley: Blacktail Mountain and Whitefish Mountain Resort. Getting outside and getting some turns in during these months is great for the soul. By the end of December, into early January, and depending on the temperatures, we will start to get enough ice for ice fishing. Another excellent way to get outside and enjoy some winter activities. Perch and pike make for some fun target species. Plus they are delicious in fish tacos! A sunny day with decent temps is also perfect for a half day fly fishing trip on the Flathead River.
DOWNTOWN WHITEFISH, MONTANA
Whitefish, Montana is considered the visitors hub of the Flathead Valley. It is a resort town with the ski hill as its backdrop. Since the mountain brings visitors year round, the local businesses have stepped up their game. There are many delicious restaurants and fun bars to hit along the main drag of Central Avenue. Mixed in with shops and art galleries, you can spend an afternoon walking around and doing some shopping. Some must-see spots are:
WE'LL SEE YOU THERE!
Make sure you get a visit to this little town on your bucket list! Whether you decide on a summer trip or winter trip, let us help you get your fishing fix. We book fly fishing and conventional fishing trips year round. Catching a fish in Montana is all that it is hyped up to be. We hope to see you out there!
