Bank Fishing from a Drift Boat September 24, 2020

Bank fishing is one of the greatest ways to land a whopper of a trout. The Idaho Kootenai has miles of perfect bank fishing , deep water with currents right up against big boulders which were used to build the railroad track back in the early 1900’s. Unlike smooth, tumbling river bottom rocks, these bank boulders have sharp corners. Trout love to hide in these banks, protected from larger fish, birds and strong currents. They stay close to the boulders, looking for tasty snacks like falling hoppers and stoneflies.  When they spot their prize, they dart up from the depth with speed and accuracy. The take can be almost explosive. I’ve had many a daydream shattered by a huge splash.

 

So, what’s the best way to present this temptation so you have a story (and maybe a picture) to share around the campfire at night? Here are a few tips:

  • ·         Perfect drift – make the mend early. You will figure out how the current is acting after a few casts, so make the mend as soon as you lay down the fly line. This settles your fly into a natural presentation early and…

  • ·         Make the drift last as long as possible. This one is tough, depending upon the water. You might have some turbulence which can pull your tippet or fly line into the deep. No mend can fix that, but perhaps you can lift your rod tip to keep more line off the water. However you pull it off, make the drift go as long as possible. Some floats will be a few seconds; others may go a full minute.

  • ·         Keep an eye downstream. Look for a strong seam that’s flowing from a point or large rock. (See my attempt at drawing with my I-pen.) This is important. These seams are grocery stores for trout. They channel the natural food into a very narrow line. The fish have learned to hold and watch that line. You want your fly in that.

  • ·         Hit this seam as close to the point (or rock) as you can cast. Here’s where your practice matters. Hopefully your rower is keeping you at a steady distance from the bank. Learn to judge how much distance is right for your cast. Keep your false casts to a minimum here, no time for pretty. Land (or plop) your fly high in the seam, and keep it in front of the drift boat. Your rower should pull away from the bank and follow the seam at this point.  Which leads me to my next suggestion…

  • ·         Cast at a 45 degree angle in front of the boat. Of course, I’m speaking to the lucky person that won the toss and is sitting in front of the rower. (In my boat I try to play fair and switch the clients every once in a while.) It always amazes me when the forward fisherman casts alongside the drift boat or, even more crazy, behind the boat. Now, if you just noticed a feeding rise and you are casting to that, okay, I get it. Otherwise, enjoy the real estate that has not been disturbed by the shadow of the boat or a splash of the oar and keep your fly out front.

  • ·         Watch your line and keep it at a length which allows you to set. When the magic happens and you see the nose of an 18 inch cutthroat approach like a Kraken from the deep, you do not need an extra 3 feet of fly line swirling around in the current. Enough slack is needed for that perfect, natural drift, but only that much.  

There you have it, enjoy the fall fishing and slower flows of the Kootenai. Contact me if you’d like to experience bank fishing in its finest. We have availability for full day floats. The fall season is open through October 14th. Afterwards the Leonia access is closed for 2020.

Next week’s weather looks fantastic at this point. Rain on 9/25, but beyond is clearing up nicely. Temps are cooler, so dressing in layers is the name of the fishing game.  The flow at the Idaho/Montana line is currently 6482 CFS. And even though they promised they were finished dropping the river, the forecast shows another 1,000 CFS drop on October 1st then another 1,000 drop on Oct 2nd. Making the final October flow about 4,500 CFS.  We’re still seeing October caddis, regular caddis and mayflies hatching. Also noticing large stonefly exoskeletons floating in eddies and slack waters. Last week I mentioned not using droppers, but yesterday proved to have limited rises and we did very well with 16 to 24 inch droppers of BHPT and Copper Johns. Foam Chernobyls in tan with a spot of orange dubbing (I call them frankenflies) did bring fish up to the surface as well.

 

 Fish safe and fish often. See you on the river.

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