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Flathead Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The West's largest natural lake: lake trout depths and postcard water.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Lake level
2892.89 ft
Air / High
47 / 53 F
Wind
SE 6 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 12371550, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Flathead Lake lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. The gauge reads 2892.89 ft, easing 0.08 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind SE around 6 mph, steady pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 53. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeGood

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pikeGood

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perchFair

Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 58 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Flathead Lake at Polson MT.

Water level, last 30 days

USGS gauge 12371550.

2892.842892.982893.132892.89 ft08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp47 F
High / Low53 / 42 F
WindSE 6-9 mph
Pressure1013.3 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain4% cloud, 64%
Sunrise / Sunset06:59 / 20:11
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 53/42 F, wind 22 mph, rain 64%

Fair or better. Cloud and a rain chance can stretch the morning bite well past breakfast: keep moving baits tied on.

Species guide

The species that matter on Flathead Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Good most of the year

The great lakes and northern panfish staple. Schools tight to bottom; where you catch one there are fifty. Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

When to come: the Flathead Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Walleye
Smallmouth bass
Northern pike
Yellow perch
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Flathead Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 54 F, wind to 15 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

2/5 Slow. The wind owns today. 31 mph gusts make boat control the real battle. Walleye led the card at good. High of 59 F, wind to 31 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

2/5 Slow. The wind owns today. 23 mph gusts make boat control the real battle. Walleye led the card at good. High of 63 F, wind to 23 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Montana requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Bull trout: mandatory release, ID required knowledge. Tribal permit needed south half: check CSKT + MT FWP.

Access

Somers, Big Arm SP, Polson, Woods Bay ramps.

About this water

125,500 acres, natural, Flathead/Lake counties, MT. Largest natural freshwater lake in the West (lower 48).

Fishing Flathead Lake: the full guide

Big, clear, cold

Flathead is the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi: 28 miles of glacial clarity where lake trout (dense and harvest-encouraged) dominate the depths, whitefish school by the thousand, and bull trout: protected: patrol the edges. Trolling and vertical jigging rule; the Mack Days derbies pay anglers to thin the lakers.

Lake trout depths

Flathead's lakers dominate the food web: jigged over 150-250 ft humps year-round, with Mack Days derbies (spring and fall) paying anglers to harvest them by the thousand. The average runs 4-8 lb with 20-plus-pounders weekly: bring heavy jigs, electric reels optional but popular.

The clarity game

Gin-clear water sets the rules: fluorocarbon everything, long casts for the bull trout you must release (know the ID), and whitefish schools that save slow days. Summer evenings, perch and cutthroat work the drop-offs of Big Arm and Polson Bay: light-line finesse in postcard scenery.

Common questions

What is Mack Days?

Twice-yearly harvest derbies paying cash for lake trout to rebalance the native fishery: thousands of entries, tagged-fish jackpots. Visitors welcome: it is Flathead's biggest fishing event.

Island shorelines and the perch inheritance

Flathead's Wild Horse Island shorelines drop fast into laker water, making the island circuit the lake's classic troll. Meanwhile the humble yellow perch (the lake's old staple) still schools off Polson's flats: winter jigging fills buckets like the old days. Spring bull-trout bycatch demands ID discipline: know the difference before you lift a net.

Is fishing good at Flathead Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Flathead River33 miKootenai River66 miNoxon Rapids Reservoir69 miClark Fork River (Missoula)70 miBitterroot River71 miBlackfoot River72 mi
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