Fishermen should enjoy Fishing in Glacier National Park

"Fishing Glacier National Park, Second Edition" by Russ Schneider is a must read for anyone who wants to know where to fish and what to fish for in Glacier National Park.

The book is great. But then, dedicated to Schneider's mom, it should be.

Schneider has plenty of maps and pictures in the book along with complete guides to every member of the finny tribe found in Glacier. There is a section about fishing in the Glacier lakes as opposed to Glacier's streams and rivers. There is also a guide for each fishery, describing what kind of fish can be found in that fishery and whether those fish are abundant, common or rare in the fishery. Fisheries with no fish in them are so indicated, and if it is not known whether there are fish or not, that is also noted.

The park is broken down into the North Fork of the Flathead, Waterton River Drainage, Belly River Drainage, McDonald Creek Drainage, St. Mary River Drainage, North Fork of Cut Bank Creek Drainage and the Middle Fork of the Flathead River Drainage.

Take the St. Mary River Drainage. On the Going-to-the-Sun Road, just east of the Sun Point area, there is a small lake right next to the highway named Lost Lake. Few even know of it, but sure enough, it was in the book. According to this book, Lost Lake is some two acres of habitat for Eastern brook trout and they are common. It just takes a couple of worms or mayflies to catch a couple of 8-inch brookies.

At Many Glacier, Lake Josephine is home to plenty of Eastern brook trout and a few kokanee salmon. Next door and right in front of the Many Glacier Hotel, Swiftcurrent Lake has good fishing for brook trout and kokanee salmon.

In the Lake McDonald region of the park, Snyder Creek, just behind the Lake McDonald Lodge, is home to Eastern brook trout and west-slope cutthroat trout. Just above that in Lower Snyder Lake, westslope cutthroat almost jump out of the lake for you.

The book goes on and on about fishing and how to fish in Glacier National Park. And, remember, best of all, fishing in Glacier requires no fishing license. Just your entry fee.

The forward for the book is reason enough for Glacier fans to buy the book whether they fish or not. Written by Monty Parratt, it tells the story of when he and his family lived in a ranger cabin on Baring Creek just west of Sun Point. Parratt shares fish stories and his love for that part of Glacier with the reader. The only problem is that the forward is too short. It could have gone on for several hundred more words.

FYI: "Fishing Glacier National Park, Second Edition" By Russ Schneider. This is a Falcon Guide. Cost is $12.95 U.S. For further information, contact Falcon at (406) 442-0384.