Flathead Lake Water Level
USGS gauge 12371550 · at Polson, MT · USACE
Latest reading Oct 26, 4:30 PM · elevation
Flathead Lake is 1.4 ft below full pool today (2,891.58 ft vs 2,893.00 ft) — about normal for late October. It is 90% full. It has fallen 0.03 ft since yesterday and is down 0.31 ft over 7 days.
Water level chart
ft above sea levelFull pool (2,893.0 ft) is 1.4 ft above the latest reading, off this chart
ReadingNormal range for the date (25th–75th pct.)Median for the date
Flathead Lake fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 6:49 PM ETLake 1.4 ft below full pool and steady, calm wind — good fall fishing day (6/10), best window 8:37 AM–9:37 AM (moonset near sunrise).
- Water temp—no water-temperature sensor on this water yet
- Air temphigh 52°F / low 30°FMostly Sunny
- WindCalm1–4 mph 6 AM–6 PM, gusts to 8
- Level1.4 ft below full poolLevel steady (−0.03 ft in 24 h)
Official Montana fishing info: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks — Fishing info
Best fishing times today
Today is a good fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
6/10
Full moon · 99% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 8:12 AM · Sunset 6:28 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon overhead12:21 AM–2:21 AM
- Moon underfoot12:48 PM–2:48 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset8:37 AM–9:37 AMSunrise
- Moonrise5:50 PM–6:50 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 26 | 6/10Good | Major 12:21 AM–2:21 AM · 12:48 PM–2:48 PM Minor 8:37 AM–9:37 AM · 5:50 PM–6:50 PM Calm wind 1–4 mph |
|---|---|---|
| TueOct 27 | 5/10Fair | Major 1:17 AM–3:17 AM · 1:47 PM–3:47 PM Minor 10:02 AM–11:02 AM · 6:25 PM–7:25 PM Light wind 8–10 mph |
| WedOct 28 | 4/10Fair | Major 2:18 AM–4:18 AM · 2:50 PM–4:50 PM Minor 11:24 AM–12:24 PM · 7:13 PM–8:13 PM Light wind 6–8 mph |
| ThuOct 29 | 4/10Fair | Major 3:22 AM–5:22 AM · 3:55 PM–5:55 PM Minor 12:35 PM–1:35 PM · 8:15 PM–9:15 PM Calm wind 1–4 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 3/10Poor | Major 4:27 AM–6:27 AM · 4:58 PM–6:58 PM Minor 1:31 PM–2:31 PM · 9:31 PM–10:31 PM Calm wind 1–4 mph |
| SatOct 31 | 4/10Fair | Major 5:29 AM–7:29 AM · 5:58 PM–7:58 PM Minor 2:12 PM–3:12 PM · 10:52 PM–11:52 PM Calm wind 0–2 mph |
| SunNov 1 | 4/10Fair | Major 5:26 AM–7:26 AM · 5:53 PM–7:53 PM Minor 1:42 PM–2:42 PM · 11:14 PM–12:14 AM Calm wind 0–4 mph |
How this rating works
Solunar theory says fish feed more when the moon is overhead or underfoot (major periods, about 2 hours) and around moonrise and moonset (minor periods, about 1 hour). On a lake or river there is no tide, so instead of tide changes we score the local conditions anglers watch: the barometric pressure trend, the wind, whether the lake level is steady, and the water temperature where it is measured.
| Base | every day starts at 1 | 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Sunrise / sunset | a period overlaps sunrise or sunset ±1 h: major +2, minor +1 (max 3) (Moonset × sunrise +1; Moonrise × sunset +1) | 2 |
| Moon phase | within 2 days of a new or full moon +2, within 4 days +1 (today: 0.5 days) | 2 |
| Local conditions | pressure 6 AM→6 PM: falling +2, steady or slowly rising +1, rising fast 0 · daytime wind 4–15 mph +1, over 20 mph (or gusts over 30) −1 · level within ±0.25 ft in 24 h +1 · water 55–75°F +1, below 45°F or above 85°F −1 (0 to 4 in total)
| 1 |
| Today | 6, rounded | 6/10 |
1–3 poor · 4–5 fair · 6–7 good · 8–10 excellent. Pressure and wind are the NOAA National Weather Service hourly forecast for this spot; the level/flow trend is the latest 24 hours of readings on this page. Days 2–7 score sun, moon, forecast pressure and forecast wind only (level and water temperature aren’t forecast). Solunar times are a rule of thumb, not a guarantee.
Solunar periods calculated for 47.70, -114.16 (moon times from astronomical equations, Flathead Lake local time).
Weather & wind at Flathead Lake
air temperature, not water3-day forecast
- This Afternoon52° / 30°Mostly SunnyWind NNE 3 mphRain 94%
- Tuesday47° / 29°Chance Rain ShowersWind SSW 10 mphRain 52%
- Wednesday46° / 24°Chance Snow Showers then Rain ShowersWind SSW 8 mphRain 80%
NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 47.697, -114.161 (grid MSO), issued Oct 26, 2:11 PM local time. High / low are air temperatures; water temperature is in the fishing section above. The “Air temp & weather” tile at the top refreshes live.
October 26 in history
27 years of level records- Today2,891.58 ft
- Same date last year2,890.74 ft2025
- Median2,891.31 ft
- Normal range2,891.03 ft – 2,891.62 ft25th–75th percentile
- Highest since 20002,892.63 ft2003
- Lowest since 20002,890.08 ft2024
Last 10 days
| Date | Level (ft) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 2,891.60 | −0.03 |
| Sun Oct 25 | 2,891.63 | −0.04 |
| Sat Oct 24 | 2,891.67 | −0.06 |
| Fri Oct 23 | 2,891.73 | −0.02 |
| Thu Oct 22 | 2,891.75 | −0.05 |
| Wed Oct 21 | 2,891.80 | −0.05 |
| Tue Oct 20 | 2,891.85 | −0.05 |
| Mon Oct 19 | 2,891.90 | −0.04 |
| Sun Oct 18 | 2,891.94 | −0.03 |
| Sat Oct 17 | 2,891.97 | −0.08 |
Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.
Plan your trip to Flathead Lake
Affiliate linksPlaces to stay near Flathead Lake
Search lake houses, cabins & hotels near Flathead Lake → via Stay22
Affiliate links: if you book through Stay22, GetYourGuide or Viator we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t affect the data on this page. How this works
Nearby lakes & rivers
Guides
All guides →About this data
- Gauge
- USGS 12371550 — Flathead Lake at Polson MT
- Location
- 47.6969, -114.1613 · Montana
- Measures
- Reservoir water-surface elevation above datum
- Daily statistics
- 2000–2025 (approved daily values)
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 4:30 PM local time (provisional)
- Page built
- Oct 26, 2026 6:49 PM ET
- Full pool
- 2,893.00 ft — Energy Keepers Inc. (Séliš Ksanka Qlispe' Dam)
- Storage
- 1,617,880 of 1,791,000 acre-ft (Top of Normal)
- Also from
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Water Data for the Nation (USGS monitoring location page). Readings every 15–60 minutes; the newest values are provisional. Percentiles compare today’s reading with every past year’s daily mean for the same calendar date. Weather: NOAA National Weather Service.