Chancy and Dave’s Fish Camp in Kalispell, MT posted their most recent update for the Flathead Valley. Their report included that cold temps finally flipped the switch, and ice season is rolling. Here’s the scoop, broken down by location:
Lake Mary Ronan is sitting on about 5–6 inches of solid ice. The perch bite has been a bit sleepy, but patience is paying off with a few nice salmon cruising through.
Lower Thompson is shaping up nicely with 5–6 inches of good ice and steady action. Anglers are finding good numbers of perch, some stretching up to 12 inches, plus the bonus of a few quality salmon and pike.
Over on Beaver Lake, there’s about 4 inches of ice. The salmon bite is on the slow side, but when they do show up, they’re bringing some respectable size with them.
Dickey Lake has officially frozen over, though there aren’t any solid ice-depth reports yet—still very much a “look before you leap” situation.
At Church Slough, anglers are working with around 4 inches of good ice and picking up a mix of nice pike, perch, and crappie to keep things interesting.
Middle Thompson is completely frozen. Ice depth hasn’t been measured, but folks have been venturing out, so proceed carefully and spread out.
Bitterroot Lake is frozen, with the north end holding 4–6 inches of decent ice. No word yet on the south end, so caution is still the name of the game there.
Ashley Lake is mostly frozen, but ice depth reports are still missing—another one to treat gently for now.
At McGregor Lake, most of the west end has locked up, while the east end is still flirting with open water. Pick your spots wisely.
Island Lake is looking solid with about 6 inches of ice. Perch and pike are cooperating, making it a fun stop right now.
Crystal Lake has around 4 inches of ice. A few anglers are catching smaller salmon along with some perch—enough action to keep rods bending.
Up at Loon Lake, the ice is good and anglers are icing a few nice rainbows along with perch, which is never a bad combo.
Foy Lake is holding about 5 inches of ice, and the rainbow bite has been treating folks pretty well.
Rodgers Lake continues to deliver with good ice and some nice grayling still being caught, plus a few cutthroat to sweeten the deal.
Smith Lake has great ice and lots of action—plenty of smaller pike with the occasional big perch mixed in.
At Blanchard Lake, 5–6 inches of ice is producing smaller crappie, perch, bass, and sunfish—perfect for steady bites and mixed bags.
Finally, Murphy Lake is sitting on about 5 inches of ice and kicking out lots of smaller perch, with a few nice bass showing up to keep things exciting.
Most small to medium-sized lakes are getting into the “safe to fish” zone, but the bigger lakes are just starting to behave—so stay sharp, check ice often, and fish smart out there.
They also included the following photos with their report:
