July 22 2020 Fly Fishing Action Arrives on the Kootenai!

This week starts the new summer flows for the Kootenai River from the Dam above Libby, Montana. Those of us fishing this wonderful river have been waiting all July to see our familiar riffles and banks emerge with this lower flow. Why did we have to wait so long? It wasn’t a heavy snow fall or hard rain, the real reason is the Libby Dam is conducting an extended period of maintenance work this summer.  So for the last few months they have been releasing water, lots of water…

Today water flow at the Leonia put in is 11 kcfs (thousand cubic feet per second), just 12 days ago it was over 25 kcfs! This flow should hold through the end of August. Water temperature is 62 degrees. Currently, the dry fly action is *on* and the fish are hungry.  I have been using size 12 or smaller stimulators and 16 or smaller caddis. The droppers will pick up a few fish, but mostly the fish are hitting the dry. Parachute Adams and PMDs will also invoke the hits in the mornings and evenings.

Mayfly and caddis hatches stretch out through the day with and on again, off again regularity. I found (and heard) that even without the hatch the fish will rise for your pattern, so fish with confidence!

And can we briefly talk about the Leonia river access? Remember this gem of a ‘put-in’ came to us by the generosity of the land owners and Idaho and Montana Fish and Game back in 2014. After more than a decade of being closed due to users trashing the place and ticking off the land owners a 3 year lease was given. Guides appreciate this convenience more than we can say and we’re discouraged to see trash left behind by others. Please remember this access could be lost to us if we misuse it. Help us keep the Leonia access beautiful!