Flathead Lake Trout Day Off
August 15, 2023 | Fishing Report, Season | Summer
While we love spending our days rowing the rivers of Western Montana, getting a few days a summer to spend time with friends and family is important. This year we got to spend a day on Flathead Lake Fishing with Chris of Big Sky Fishing Charters.
Chris is a true professional and master of his craft. Getting the opportunity to do something so far out of our wheelhouse is always special. Trolling with downriggers hundreds of feet deep is a little different than a single mayfly or a dry dropper…
Chris runs the largest fishing boat on Flathead powered by TWIN 300 Mercs. You are absolutely riding in style with Chris. Covered deck to keep you shaded from the harsh sun, or out of the rain. Dry cabin with double booth seating and all the amenities. You really can't be more comfortable for a day of fishing.
Speaking of the fishing, watching Chris set up and deploy his rig, with many rods and many different depths is impressive. He is an artist at work.
His remote-controlled kicker acts as an extension of his arm and he can read his graphs like you are reading this. He can see a fish on his sonar and in one clean motion move a bait to the fish's depth and tell you when it will eat. It is truly impressive.
As a guide, watching his control and understanding of what is happening is incredible. The man is a fish-catching machine.
We were lucky enough to get a beautiful calm morning on the lake. The fish were feeding and the fun dial was turned all the way up. Taking turns catching fish was a blast. Having your own cheering section is a different experience and brings everyone in on every fish.
When we were not fighting fish, Chris’s extensive knowledge of the lake and environment filled the time and was very educational. We landed around a dozen Lake trout with a few that came off or we managed to let get off. (Yeah, even fishing guides lose fish now and again).
Russell caught the big fish of the day. A big beautiful “Slot Fish” a 30+ incher that had to be released. An impressive freshwater fish on any tackle.
When our fishing was done, Chris put on a show cleaning our fish. You can tell he has fillet thousands of Lakers in his day. The speed and precision was impressive and he made short work of our fish for the day.
If you are ever exploring the Flathead Lake area and are looking to spend a full or half day on the big water, Give Chris at Big Sky Fishing Charters a Call. He runs a fantastic operation with top-notch equipment. We're sure you will have a blast!
- Zach Scott | Missoula Fishing Guide #17232
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