Montana Freestone
North Fork Flathead River Fishing Report, Flows and Hatches
A cold Glacier National Park drainage freestone near Columbia Falls, home to wild westslope cutthroat. It fishes best once runoff drops in midsummer, and bull trout are catch-and-release only.
Freestone
Montana
3,150 ft
Gauge 12355500
Right now
Live conditions
An expert read, in your pocket
Rivus knows your river right now. Live conditions, what’s hatching, and what to tie on, the moment you open it.
When the day turns and nothing’s working, ask Eddy and change the plan.
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The hatch chart
North Fork Flathead River hatch chart
The emergences that come off the North Fork Flathead by month, straight from the Rivus hatch model.
| Hatch | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Golden Stonefly Stonefly, #6-8 | ||||||||||||
Salmonfly Stonefly, #4-6 | ||||||||||||
Blue Winged Olive Mayfly, #14-18 | ||||||||||||
Caddisfly Caddis, #14-18 | ||||||||||||
Isonychia / Slate Drake Mayfly, #10-12 | ||||||||||||
Pale Morning Dun Mayfly, #14-16 | ||||||||||||
Pale Evening Dun Mayfly, #14-16 | ||||||||||||
Grasshopper / Terrestrial Hopper, #10-12 | ||||||||||||
Midge Midge, #18-22 | ||||||||||||
Flying Ant / Carpenter Ant Ant, #16-18 |
How it fishes
A Montana freestone
A freestone river runs free off snowmelt and rain, so it swings hard with the seasons. It blows out and browns up in spring runoff, then drops and warms into summer. The hatches track the water temperature more than the calendar, so you time your trip to the flow and the thermometer.
Flow and gauge
Reading the flows
The North Fork Flathead is metered at USGS gauge 12355500. Watch the trend as much as the number: a river that is dropping and clearing fishes very differently from one that is coming up.
Access and regulations
Before you fish
Access and the right to fish are the angler’s responsibility, every time. Public access, private water, and seasonal closures vary along the river, so confirm where you can legally stand and wade before you go. We do not point you to a specific spot.
Read the current rules, license requirements, and any special-regulation water before you go. Regulations change season to season, so check them fresh.
Flow and water temperature from USGS, weather from NWS and NOAA, refreshed hourly. Real-time USGS readings are provisional and subject to revision. The hatch chart and river read are Rivus model output.