Kootenai River Overview Below Map
See also...
Regional Fly Shops and Guide Service
The Kootenai River / Highway 2
The Kootenai River, from Libby Dam 17 miles downriver to Libby, is another great tail-water fishery for Montana. After years of pressure from anglers, biologists and local concerned citizens, the days of wild water fluctuations have come to an end. Posing danger to fishers and floaters, the erratic rise and fall of the river also posed a threat to the insect larva stranded high and dry by the whims of the Army Corps of Engineers. With current standards for water drawdown, insect larva have a chance to retreat into deeper receding water. With consistent yearly insect survival, the Kootenai River gets better every year, and the fish are fat and aggressive. Fish biologists estimate that the river holds in excess of 2,000 fish per mile.
The cold waters of March and April provide fishing opportunities for rainbows during the spawning period. Although the water can be off-colored from tributaries below the dam such as the Fisher River and Libby Creek, anglers can experience some good nymphing and streamer fishing. During May and June the water begins to warm, precipitating the emergence of caddis and the Western March Brown. Dry fly fishing heats up, and by far the most important hatch is the PMDs ranging in size 14 to 16 in the early summer to size 18 in the latter part of summer. Typically the spinnerfall occurs in the morning with the duns coming off in late afternoon. Be sure you have patterns on hand for the emergers, as well as the duns. July and August may bring the heat to the fishermen, but the warmer water activates fish feeding on both dry flies and hoppers. Keep in mind that when other Montana rivers heat up late summer, the Kootenai River runs cool, as a tail-water river. The fall brings foliage change and clarity to the river. With lots of mid-day hatches, trout are eager to store up fat reserves for the winter. Blue-wing olives work well even into the latter part of November. Although streamers are used for targeting Bull trout, for the most part the river is a classic dry fly river.
Wade fishing is
best from 8,000 cubic feet per second to 12,000 cfs. It is next to impossible
during high water releases of over 15,000 cfs. When the water rises, guides and
float fishermen move to the side channels for the larger trout. Popular float
trips originate at the dam with the final take-out in the town of Libby. The
17-mile section can be broken up into a number of potential float trips,
depending how much time one would like to spend on the water. Below Libby are
the deadly Kootenai Falls.
Powerboat
operators fishing below the Libby Bridge should first confer with a local
expert. Although the world record rainbow at 33 pounds, one ounce, was caught
at the outlet of the dam, the average catch of the day will be around 10 to
14-inches with plenty of 18+-inch trout to challenge any angler.
Overlooked for
years by the fly-fishing public who ply the waters of the Madison and Missouri,
people in the know are looking to the northwest. A tour of the Clark Fork
drainage rivers and then a sampling of the Kootenai provides excellent trout fishing.
