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Glacier National Park info

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If you have any wisdom to share about visiting Glacier National Park please do. If it has anything to do with fishing in the area, that would be even better! My wife and I will be bringing our 4 year old and my Mom who will be 74 by then. We'll be staying in Hungry Horse during our visit in a house right on the Flathead River.

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The Flathead is a pretty sterile stream as far as bug life goes. That being said it's full of small West slope cutthroat that are eager to take dry flies. We were up there last year and I did some wading on the different Forks and did a float with my daughter on the main stem from Columbia Falls down to the old Steel Bridge. I threw streamers the whole time as it's pretty big water with a lot of deep holes. Biggest Cutthroat caught was 16 inches.

The guide said that was the biggest native that had been brought in his boat all year so I wouldn't go expecting to catch any monsters.

I caught numerous small bull trout 14-20" as well as couple of suckers., I don't think you're legally allowed to specifically Target bull trout, but I'd be tempted to Chuck big nasty streamers.

 

Small purple chubby Chernobyls were very productive as well as stimulators, and other general attractors.

We did find one pod of natives rising to a sporadic pmd hatch that would only take PMD patterns but for the most part I wouldn't call the fish in the Flathead selective.

 

It is beautiful country for sure! However, if you want to go to Montana to fish, I'd stick with the mo, beaverhead, big hole, Madison, or Jellystone. Have fun! Schmitty

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I did a 2 year church mission up in Montana and stayed in kalispell for 6 months during spring to fall! If you go in june lots of areas still could be blocked off because of snow. Best time to go is at the end of June while everything is still wet and lots of water coming off the mountains, but you can still go on hikes. Since its a National park you don't need a lic I think. But they also don't stock anything in there. July is nice and most of the snow in the lower area is gone but lots more traffic and lately more forest fires in the area at this time and sometimes the mountain range is all smoked out. I remember the first time I went there. It felt like I walked into a painting!!!

Also I know of some locals that fished as far back as possible past the Hungry Horse Resv. Take a little fishing reel and lure and they claimed they caught cut throats all day. Make noise because its Huckleberry season and the Grizs are out in about in those areas past the Reserve in the patches. Speaking of that stop at every malt shops off the road and have a huckleberry malt for me.

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We went up in 94 or 95 to Washington for sisters wedding Then spent 2 weeks coming back to az(was only suppose to be 4 days). I fished everywhere up there. Glacier is a cool place but the fishing wasnt that great in the big rivers or lakes..

all the small streams from northern Idaho (pan Handle)to glacier to almost north Dakota was a blast. had a great time, we had my parents and out 5 year old with us. just spent the night in motels every night. Fished all the way back to Utah and him some places east of salt lake in the mountains.

Aside from fishing Dad and I spent alot of time shooting p-dogs in eastern montana also.. Saw tons of wildlife rams mountain goats bears deer some elk and the only moose we seen had her calf stuck in a fence along the freeway in eastern idaho We and a highway Patrol guy my wife went and got cut it loose. Cool place I'd love to go back and spend more time.

 

Was going to move up there but wife was too scared of bears. there pretty big up there ;)

 

Edit

also spent alot of time checking out all the old battle grounds those are really cool places

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