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Flathead River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Flathead main stem below the North and Middle forks: open all year, catch-and-release for westslope cutthroat and closed to bull trout fishing.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
3,620 cfs
Air / High
46 / 50 F
Wind
NNE 3 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 12363000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Tap a marker for today's tip
Friday
23
October 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 River fishes cold and honest: earn your bites in the deep stuff. The river is running 3,620 cfs, steady over the week. Today brings cloud cover, wind NNE around 3 mph, falling pressure near 1007 hPa and a high of 50. Water sits around 47 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:14 AM-12:14 PM and 10:45 PM-12:45 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown troutExcellent

Below 50°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

Tomorrow: Similar at 52 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

Montana requires a fishing licence from age 12, from $31.00 for residents. What a Montana licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing rainbow trout here? Check the size and bag limits with FWP before you keep anything. The season dates for Montana, read off the agency, are on the Montana seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Flathead River at Columbia Falls.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 12363000.

3,8194,3004,7813,620 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 97 years of October 23

At 3,620 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 12363000 (Flathead River at Columbia Falls) is at the 43rd percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 97 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 3,810 cfs; the highest was 14,900 cfs and the lowest 1,400 cfs.

p10 1,866median 3,810p90 10,260

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 12363000; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp46 F
High / Low50 / 38 F
WindNNE 3-3 mph
Pressure1007.3 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 60%
Sunrise / Sunset08:09 / 18:32
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (gauge)44 F USGS
Water temp (seasonal)~47 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Flathead River this week

The best day on Flathead River this week looks like Saturday Oct 24, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Saturday, Oct 24 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
10:14 AM-12:14 PM and 10:45 PM-12:45 AM
Minor period
4:40 AM-5:40 AM
Sun
08:09 to 18:32
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Showers, 10 mph
Rain chance
60%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

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

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Below 50°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

When to come: the Flathead River 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
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 47 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~47 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 River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 67 F, wind to 6 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 63 F, wind to 6 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 62 F, wind to 6 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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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

Montana fishing license. Flathead River, North/Middle Fork confluence to Flathead Lake (FWP 2026): open all year; single-point hooks only; westslope cutthroat catch-and-release; rainbow trout 5 daily and in possession; Dec 1–third Saturday in May, maggots and unscented artificial lures only. Closed to intentional bull trout fishing. Kill and report any brown trout.

Access

FWP fishing access sites including Teakettle (Columbia Falls bridge), Pressentine (Birch Grove Road) and Old Steel Bridge (Shady Lane, Kalispell).

About this water

The main stem of the Flathead River from the confluence of the North and Middle forks past Columbia Falls and Kalispell to Flathead Lake, Flathead County, Montana.

Fishing Flathead River: the full guide

The main stem

FWP's rules for the Flathead River cover the main stem from the confluence of the North and Middle forks down to Flathead Lake. The river is open all year, hooks and lures must have single points, westslope cutthroat trout are catch-and-release, and anglers may keep five rainbow trout. From December 1 to the third Saturday in May only maggots and unscented artificial lures may be used.

Bull trout are off limits

Bull trout are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. FWP's 2026 bull trout rules open only Lake Koocanusa, Hungry Horse Reservoir and part of the South Fork Flathead to bull trout angling with a catch card, and close all other waters, the main Flathead included, to intentional bull trout fishing all year.

Brown trout: kill and report

In July 2025 FWP confirmed a non-native brown trout in the Flathead upstream of Pressentine Fishing Access Site near Evergreen, most likely an illegal introduction. FWP asks anglers who catch a brown trout anywhere in the Flathead River or its tributaries to kill it and report it to the Region 1 office at 406-752-5501, because browns threaten bull trout and westslope cutthroat.

Fishing access sites

FWP's Teakettle Fishing Access Site sits on Highway 2 at the Columbia Falls bridge with a concrete ramp. Pressentine Fishing Access Site, 7 miles northeast of Kalispell off Birch Grove Road, has a gravel ramp. Old Steel Bridge Fishing Access Site covers 128 acres off Shady Lane on the east side of Kalispell. The USGS gauge on this page, 12363000, is at Columbia Falls.

Common questions

Can I keep cutthroat trout on the Flathead?

No. Westslope cutthroat are catch-and-release on the main stem; FWP allows five rainbow trout a day instead.

Can I fish for bull trout?

Not on the main Flathead. Intentional bull trout angling is allowed only on Lake Koocanusa, Hungry Horse Reservoir and part of the South Fork Flathead, with a free catch card.

What should I do if I catch a brown trout?

Kill it and report it to FWP Region 1 at 406-752-5501 with the location and date; browns are not native to the Flathead and threaten native trout.

Is fishing good at Flathead River 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 Lake33 miKootenai River52 miNoxon Rapids Reservoir78 miClark Fork River (Missoula)104 miLake Pend Oreille105 miBlackfoot River105 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 12363000 — Flathead River at Columbia Falls
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 14:45 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 48.3700, -114.1800 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 5, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 5, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.