Only have time for a quick “Fishing Report” today, we’re heading out early again with another new charter. This beautiful fish is from last week and is 38″ long and tipped the scales at 24 lbs.. The proud fishermen are Joe, Brian and Lindsey.
I can’t tell you how busy we’ve been this past month, we have been out on the Flathead almost every day and in all kinds of weather. The cold, rain or snow isn’t really a concern as our fishing boat has a heated cabin and a private bathroom – all the comforts of home.
You heard that right, if you book a fishing charter with the Captain between now and May 15th. after we’ve docked, you can get FREE beer at the Tamarack brewery and a FREE room at Americas Best Value Inn in Kalispell. Wouldn’t this make a great Valentine’s Day surprise, birthday present or just a chance to get out and have some fun?
Call your buddies or tell your significant other that you have a great idea for a day of non-stop fun. Fishing, free beer and a place to stay for the night…what could be better to beat the winter blahs?
Winter fishing on Flathead Lake?
Hey, the fish haven’t gone anywhere and they’re always hungry. Our charter boat is the largest on the lake and it has a heated cabin and private loo, so there’s no reason to wait until summer to catch some trophy Lake Trout. We fish the Flathead all year round unless the lake is frozen, which isn’t something that happens very often.
I can’t tell you how many times someone books a charter and shows up at the pier ready to experience Flathead Lake and search for that trophy fish; everybody’s excited and ready to fish, but they forgot one thing. In all the excitement they forgot to get a Montana Fishing License.
One of the items on our check list before we push away from the pier is to verify that those who will be fishing have a valid fishing license. Fishing without a license carries a stiff fine for anyone caught fishing and also for the Captain, so we never take that chance. Before you show up at the pier, make sure you have your license.
Also, if we are fishing on Flathead Lake, you will need to check with your charter captain to see if you might need a CSK tribal license for the south end of the Lake. Sometimes, that’s where the fish are biting. So, when you book your charter, the next thing to do is get your fishing license online.
So states an old adage from many generations ago. Although that is a loose version of the original quote, the meaning remains the same. In the world of fishing reports and “fish stories”, the proof can only be found in the fish box. Ignore the tall tales – count the fish tails!
“The proof is in the fish box!”
“The proof is in the fish box”, thus states Captain Norm of Fish~N~Fun fame! Hey, every fishing captain and wannabe angler will give you a fishing report based on their experience – or the way they wish it was. Some may tell it like it is, or stretch reality into something they wish it would be – just to get your attention.
If you have been following this blog or our Flathead Lake YouTube Channel, you already know that our fishing report is kept in the fish box. Yesterday’s fishing charter was no exception. Here it is in late September when others are folding their tents and going home, we are our on the lake catching record numbers of Lake Trout.
This video is from yesterday’s afternoon charter with three great people. We had a wonderful time reeling in fish after fish and some of these lunkers were huge. We even had a couple “double strikes” where we had fish on two lines at the same time.
Fish Flathead Lake Anytime
Some fishing charter captains are fair weather fishermen. Heck, we fish Flathead Lake all year long except when ice forms on the lake (which is very seldom). It doesn’t matter what the weather or what you ate for lunch because our boat has a heated cabin and a private loo (that’s a bathroom for you landlubbers).
Tour Flathead Lake
You might be surprised to learn that some of our charters never catch one fish – that’s because we also offer Flathead Lake Tours and not everyone wants to put a line in the water. Our lake tours are amazing and again, it doesn’t matter what the weather is outside, you can tour Flathead Lake from the comfort of an over-sized heated cabin.
Wild Horse Island Hiking Tours
One of the largest inland islands in the USA is Wild Horse Island in the center of Flathead Lake. We take many charters to the island where people can hike for miles and view wildlife that includes Mule Deer, Rock Mountain Big Horn Sheep and even a herd of wild horses. The hiking and wildlife photography opportunities are something you must experience.
Give us a call today and book your next fishing charter or Flathead Lake boat tour.
On Saturday, September 8th., the first Dragon Boat Race event was held on Flathead Lake. It was estimated that over 3,000 spectators watched 56 teams compete on a beautiful Montana day. The shore was standing room only, but the best view was from a boat on the lake. Some people watched from kayaks while others dropped anchor from their motorboats and enjoyed a day at the races…Montana style. This video shows some of the highlights of the day’s racing events.
Dragon Boat Race Watching
This new event created still yet another way for us to serve Flathead Lake visitors. We were hired by a young man named Bobby and his beautiful girlfriend Dallas, to take them on a short Flathead Lake tour and head over to Bigfork to watch the Dragon Boat races. Bobby is scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan with the Army next week so this outing was a great sendoff, and everyone had a marvelous time. They enjoyed themselves so much they were willing to stand in front of a camera and tell the world about Captain Norm’s Fish~N~Fun boat charters.
If this sounds like something you would like to do next year, I’d recommend that you reserve your boat charter as quickly as possible. We have a few boats at our disposal, but I’m guessing that they will fill-up quickly.
Testimonials from satisfied customers are the finest form of advertising – and money just can’t buy that. The other day we had the pleasure of fishing with a great family with two little boys that were so excited it was infectious. Fortunately, the fish cooperated and we landed a boatload of great fish and had a whole lot of fun.
The boys had a blast reeling in fish after fish, and I had fun just watching their excitement build with every catch. Their parents told me that the boys found our website online and told them that Captain Norm’s Fish~N~Fun was the guy they wanted to go fishing with. As you can see, they were not disappointed, and they were kind enough to say some nice things about their fishing adventure.
If you would like to experience the most fun you can have fishing on Flathead Lake, give us a call and talk to us about booking a private charter. The summer may be winding down, but there are still many weeks of great fishing ahead of us before the snow flies. Oh, and don’t let chilly weather deter your plans, our boat has a heated cabin so we can fish regardless of the temperature.
Every fishing charter boat Captain on Flathead lake will tell you a different story, so we thought we would show you realresults from our fishing charter customers. Videos don’t lie (but some fishermen do). This compilation of videos isn’t a ‘highlight reel’ of the year, this is what our customers experienced last week!
Captain Norm’s Fish~N~Fun strives to give our customers the fishing experience of a lifetime. This video shows that we deliver what you want to get – a fun and rewarding experience fishing one of America’s greatest lakes, Flathead Lake in NW Montana.
Wild Horse Island is a favorite place to day-hike and photograph wildlife like mule deer, Rock Mountain Bighorn sheep and of course, the infamous wild horses. The problem is that the island is only accessible by boat (as most islands are), and most visitors don’t have a boat or know the best places to tie-up or lay anchor.
That is why Captain Norm offers boat tours that include Wild Horse Island hiking trips. This video was filmed just this week (08/16/12) and shows what a trip to Wild Horse can mean; up close and personal wildlife encounters and spectacular photos.
So if fishing isn’t your thing, call us and let us arrange a private boat trip to Wild Horse, the largest (inland) island in the USA. If hiking scenic trails and photographing wildlife in their natural environment is something that you like to do, now you can experience Montana the way it was meant to be seen.
See the wild horses in their natural environment
Photograph Sheep and Mule Deer
All of these photos and video were the result of one trip to Wild Horse Island. The hiking is amazing and the wild animals are spectacular.
Not everyone who visits Flathead Lake is a fisherman who wants to fish the lake, but everyone who visits wants to see and experience as much of the lake as possible. The only way to get the full impact of Flathead Lake’s beauty and grandeur is to tour it from a boat. That is why the best fishing charter company on the lake also offers guided tours. Cruising the shoreline of Flathead Lake can be marvelous experience as you never know what you might see. From eagles and osprey nests to wild horses grazing on the palouse prairies of Wild Horse Island.
Wild Horse Island Day Trips
A charter that includes a trip to Wild Horse Island could possibly become your most cherished vacation memory. Wild Horse Island state park is an experience unto itself. You can hike miles of scenic trails and have the opportunity to see and photograph more than 100 species of wildlife from big horn sheep and mule deer to wild horses and majestic bald eagles.
Captain Norm’s Fish~N~Fun operates the largest fishing charter boat on the Lake with all the comforts of home; from a private head (potty for you landlubbers) to a heated cabin. Learn more about the Captain’s Wild Horse Island boat tours.
Today, the hottest action I’ve ever seen on Flathead Lake, baring whitefish. We had 46 hook-ups in four hours. That’s one about every five minutes and they didn’t come evenly spaced. We even had a few fish lost due to poor hook-set and one 33 inch slottie we released. Thirty-six to clean.
The kill box held them…just and the fish box did too, but it wouldn’t have taken but 2-3 more.
These guys were happy fisherman!
Captain Rod Rogers – angler & author
PS: Last Saturday, I fished in 20mph wind from the south. 4-5ft waves, got beat up and caught only two fish; a 22″ and a 32″ that we had to release. You just never know what to expect, but this is the time of the season to fill your boat with fish from Flathead Lake.
