Zimmer Tackle – Montana Fishing Expertise At Its Finest
Distance from Mt. Forge: 13 minute drive
Nicole and I spent 3 months quarantined at Mount Forge from March to June 2020. We were looking for a hobby to pick up while we were out there. Aside from the hiking and adventuring, we decided to pick up a few fishing rods and try to teach ourselves how to catch the coveted Lake Trout (also known as Mackinaw). After a few failed attempts with our Walmart fishing rods, we decided to get some information from an expert. We asked around and we heard that Dick Zimmer is the Mackinaw king. Dick has been fishing for Macks in Flathead Lake for 70 years. There isn’t a human being on the planet that is more qualified to catch fish in Flathead Lake than Dick.
Zimmer tackle is right off of Rt. 93 in Ronan. It has an insane amount of products inside, most of which I never heard of before. I walked in and explained our situation, that we are out of town fishing novices and were looking to learn how to catch lake trout. Dick proceeded to ask tons of questions, what type of boat we had, what our gear was, so on and so forth. He then told us how and where the fish were biting at this time in the season, what type of rigs they were biting on, and how to use them. They make custom lures and supply all of the local stores that have fishing supplies. I even bought a handbook on jig-fishing that he wrote. The customer service experience was unbelievable. You can tell how knowledgeable and passionate Dick is about fishing.
We ended up using a lot of their homemade cut bait and having tons of success over the rest of our quarantine trip. If you’re going to be fishing in Western Montana, Zimmer Tackle is the place to answer any questions you have. Dick frequently reminds me to call him if I ever have any questions. Their entire staff loves fishing and they want you to enjoy it just as much as they do.
