Fishing Report

Kootenai River is fishing great right now! The flows are around 10,000 cfs. and the main river is pretty clear. There is some color coming in from the tributaries, but nothing crazy. The dam is expected to start their sturgeon flow towards the end of this month where they will ramp up the flow to around 25,000 cfs. and that should last for a couple weeks before drawing it back down. There is some good dry fly action during the middle of the day as there a decent amount of bug

Spring fishing is here on the Kootenai. The flows are pretty high at around 20,000 cfs but the water is pretty clear. There are some bugs hatching and you can see some fish rising in the softer water, but nymphing is still the most effective way to catch fish this time of year. The trout are still holding in the softer water so target areas that are not in the direct current.

The days are getting warmer and we are getting precipitation. That means the tributaries are getting blown out and pouring sediment into the Kootenai. The dam is also releasing more water and the flow is expected to jump up to 16.0 kcfs by March 21st. Fishing is slower now with this runoff, but you can still get out there and catch fish. With the water being more murky now, I would use darker bigger patterns that will show up better for the fish to see. Darker nymphs, Pat's r

It has been a warmer winter this year and spring may be coming sooner than previous years. Small bugs are starting to emerge on warmer days and some fish can be caught with small dries like the Griffith's gnat and light tippet. If you want to catch more fish, nymphs like the zebra midge and smaller classic patterns like the prince, hares ear, and pheasant tail are mainstays this time of year. A Pat's rubber leg is always good to use as well. If you are looking for that bigger