Flathead Area Fishing Report by Chancy’s Fish Camp 7.20.26

Grab your gear and skip the guesswork—here is Chancy’s Fish Camp Weekly Fishing Report. Flathead Lake is firing on all cylinders with an improving whitefish bite at 50–70 feet, great lake trout action around Elmo and Shelter Islands, and relentless smallmouth bass activity lake-wide. If you’re chasing salmon, Middle Thompson is giving up beautiful 18-inchers on micro hoochies, while Dickey Lake and Lake Mary Ronan offer steady morning action. Rivers are delivering early-morning rewards, with the Flathead Forks producing on terrestrial flies and the Lower Flathead and Swan rivers serving up aggressive pike in the weed beds. From deep-water McGregor lakers at 140 feet to topwater bass at Blanchard and walleyes at Noxon Reservoir, the fish are active—so pick your target, tie on your favorite rig, and get out there.

Flathead lake

Whitefish bite starting to get better everyday. Reports from Skiddo Bay, Finley point, Yellow Bay, Rollins and Elmo on south end lake. Delta, Sommers bay and Carolin point some numbers of fish! Try little deeper 50 to 70′. Jt Tackle, Zimmers and Bone Collector tackle work well, try green flys tied in above tipped with maggots. Perch bite been good on south end try 15 to 30′ water. Lake trout bite been good around Elmo Bay and Shelter Isands. Smallmouth bass action has been great all over the lake!

Blanchard lake

Crappie fishing in later evening been good, try top water for bass.

Rodgers Lake

Try early or late for Grayling small spinners or leech pattern flys can be good.

Syliva lake

Good Cutthroat action casting small spoons or spinners

McGregor lake

Still producing lake trout 120 to 140′ water. Try jigging small tubes or twister tails. Try trolling small flatfish or Flicker shads for rainbows

Smallmouth try tubes and crawfish patterns.

Middle Thompson

Salmon bite been good for great fish up to 18″ trolling has been productive. Small Dodges and mico hoochies has been good tipped with corn and maggots. Perch bite been good with live leeches along weed beeds.

Dickey lake

Salmon bite still good for 12 to 14″ fish. Jigging and trolling has been working well. Good bass along the Hwy side with ned rigs and tubes.

Flathead river and Forks

Doing well fly fishing early mornings try hoppers, ants, purple haze and humpys. Spin fishing try little cleos, panther Martins and Kamloop.

Lower Flathead river above Flathead lake.

Pike action been good very early in mornings in deep weed beds. Bass action also good in Fennon and Church try crappie action late in evening.

Lake Mary Ronan

Perch bite picking up a little but still pretty slow, salmon bite ok early in mornings with are very nice 12 to 14″.

Lower Stillwater

Good pike action north end try spinnerbaits and jerk baits. Lots of perch a few decent size fis up to 12″

Hubbart Reservoir

Lots of smallmouth bass action, try tubes jigs, swimbaits aor crawfish ned rigs.

Swan river near Ferndale

Good pike action above the spillway. Try big spoons or spinnerbaits or dead baits.

Swan Lake

Try north end for rainbows and lake trout. Troll small spoons or flatfish along shore lines.

South try deep weed for pike with swimbaits and jerkbaits. Lake trout try along the hwy side with flashers and spinner flys.

Noxon Reservoir

Bass and walleye action has been good. Try do around Martin creek bay area and the Islands down around the dam. Look for walleye in 15 to 25′ water with jigs and crawlers or leeches.

^{Feature photo via Chancy’s Fish Camp}