Distinctly Montana Magazine

53 w w w. d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m their kayaks on a foray to Georgetown Lake, but they found only three lures at the popular fishery, small trout-patterned Rapalas. They lost interest entirely when Wendy refused to go back in the water after finding a leech attached to her. "Oh," says Kevin. "She'll never go there again." I let my eyes wander over the colorful forest of fish tempters, which have been hung in the order they were found, resulting in a random array of shapes, sizes, colors and styles. A sleek, white, torpedo-shaped plug with black dots for eyes hangs next to a segmented silver minnow jerkbait. A stubby plug with a blaze orange underbelly and thin black lines across its scaly green back hangs next to a large red and white Flatfish, which I rec- ognize, having fished with them since I was a kid. Next to that is a frog-patterned lure, also a Flatfish. And then another Flat- fish. And another. Then it dawns on me that the vast majority of lures in this collection are Flatfish, which shouldn't be a sur- prise. The lure's ingenious design has made it one of the best sellers in the world. The banana-shaped body ends in a flattened lip that makes it wiggle and dive, able to reach a depth of 12 feet or more without a sinker. Automaker Charles Helin reportedly went through 1,500 hand-carved prototypes before he arrived at the classic design in 1933. He patented his lure the following year, and by 1970, over 40 million Flatfish had been sold. Judg- ing by Kevin's collection, it must be the most popular lure used (and lost) on Flathead Lake. "Oh, I don't doubt that," confirms Paula Zimmer of Zimmer Bait and Tackle in Ronan, just a few miles south of the lake. Her husband Dick Zimmer's shop is the first stop for many fishermen who gear up for the annual assault on the lake known as Mack Days, a fishing competition designed to keep the lake trout pop- ulation in check. The huge, invasive predators tend to hug the bottom of the lake gulping mysis shrimp, so many fishermen troll with downrigger outfits that take the lure hundreds of feet deep. More often than not, that lure is a Flatfish. "We sell more [Flat- fish] than even our own," says Paula. The business designs and markets their own lures with names like the Mack Attack, Lead- agator, Doodlebug, Rattle D Zastor and the Trilobite. Their most expensive offering is the Instigator, a handmade, hand-painted, segmented swimbait big enough to straddle the line between throw-back or keeper. If you're feeling saucy enough to drop $125.00 on one of these beauties, you might want to use an ex- tra-stout line, lest you get hung up and snap it off, and the next thing you know, your Zimmer masterpiece might be the latest prize hanging from Kevin Owens' ceiling. VOTE FOR US WIN $ 500! FOR YOUR CHANCE TO B E S T O F M O N TA N A B M D I S TI N C T L Y M O N T A N A ' S 2023 FMDH offers 24/7 coverage for OB/GYN, General Surgery and Orthopedic services In 2022, FMDH EMS taught 60 CPR classes, certifying 300 community members 2022 recipient of the Patient Experience Award from Chartis Center for Rural Health Improving the Health of Our Regional Community 621 3rd Street South Glasgow, Montana 59230 (406) 228-3500 .fmdh.org Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital serves the Northeast Montana area with highly specialized healthcare. With our Glasgow hospital, there's no need for you to travel hours away from home for treatment at a bigger facility. We are committed to giving local access to high-quality healthcare and keeping our finger on the pulse of our community's needs.

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