Fishing Flathead Lake is best in the fall
In my last column, I wrote about all the reasons to be excited about fall fishing here in the Flathead Valley. Indeed there are a ton of opportunities to fish well into winter here in the valley and one of the best ones is the coming lake trout spawn on Flathead Lake.
For many, this is one time of year that their equipment is perfectly suited to catching these fish on the big lake. In the fall, when lake trout spawn, they come pretty shallow and that means, in most areas, close to shore. Now is when a smaller boat, perhaps even without downriggers and expensive sonar systems, can really shine, weather permitting.
Lake trout right now are beginning to stage in the “pre-spawn” mode, meaning they are moving closer to the places they will lay and fertilize the eggs. They are feeding fairly heavily right now and begin to group up in these areas. When fish group up, there becomes competition for food, something that is not the norm these days on Flathead. Mackinaw can pretty much find food anywhere on the lake these days, but once they are in their spawning areas, they are all focusing on the food that is in those areas. That is good news for anglers.
The water is cooling now too, so lake trout are more comfortable in more places than they have been all summer. The shallow water close to shore is now more to their liking, and shoreline boat traffic is virtually non-existent again. And since these fish all spawn on slightly different timelines, new stocks of fish will move in and move out almost daily, meaning new opportunities for unpressured fish.
The East shore of Flathead Lake has fantastic spawning habitat, from Wayfarers all the way down to Blue Bay, as does the West side from Angel Point all the way to Painted Rocks and beyond. Trolling spoons and spinners on lead core line is about as simple as it gets, and will be very effective in water 100 feet deep and less. Deep-diving crank baits long-lined 200 feet behind a boat are also very effective as are dodgers and flashers with flies and squids down 30 to 50 feet on downriggers. For those who like to troll and cover water, this is as easy as it gets for the year.
Trolling speed this time of year does not seem to be as critical, with speeds up to 2 ½ mph acceptable for the techniques I am describing. But, once you find a specific speed that is working with the lures you are using, stick to that as some LURES are very speed sensitive. A heavy casting spoon such as a Krocodile or a Dardevle needs more speed to work properly than a thinner, lighter Shoehorn or Strike King spoon. Be especially careful if mixing spoons and spinners in your trolling spread that they all are working correctly at your chosen speed.
Another great tactic is throwing heavy casting spoons towards the shorelines off points and underwater structure. The Douglas Islands around West Shore State Park can’t miss for this, as is the shallow water off Woods Bay Point and the area around Bird Island down South.
Jigging can also be effective this time of year, in some of the deeper areas fish will stage in and move back into once the eggs are dropped and fertilized. In my experience however, jigging over these fish in the fall is effective early and late in the day, while trolling seems to work throughout the entire day.
As the days are getting shorter and temperatures are dropping, it is especially important that you consider safety while on any lake, but especially Flathead. Consider wearing a life jacket at all times, especially if you are by yourself. Even if your plan is to stick close to shore, unexpected winds or breakdowns can take you far off your planned course. There are also a lot less boaters out there to help you if you get in trouble. Most guides monitor VHF channel 16 and you can always call us if you get in a jam at 257-5214.
See you on the water!
Mike Howe runs Howes Fishing/A Able Charters