With warmer temps and pmds starting to show up the Kootenai is starting to fire up for the season. Discharge from Libby Dam is presently 15000cfs and will decrease approximately 1500 cfs each night to 10000 cfs by June 30. On about July 1 discharge from Libby Dam will further decrease to approximately 7000 cfs and remain steady through September.
Yesterday conditions were good with temps in the seventies and a light breeze. Tim, Sean, Johhny and Steve all reported mixed results for the day. Rising fish are still spotty depending on location.
Nymphing is still producing most of the action throughout the day as fish are not really able to feed entirely on the surfact. That should change by the day with increased pmd activity and the start of good caddis hatches. As the water levels decrease, fish should become much more active on dries.
All Kootenai area tributaries are in great shape and fishing very well throughout the day. Look for great dry fly action in the evenings and stick with small attractor patterns, caddis, pmds and green drakes. Pulling streamers through deeper holes will bring a bigger fish or two.
The Clark Fork is also starting to turn on! With flows decreasing daily and clarity improving, caddis, pmds, and golden stones are all contributing to potentially great dry fly fishing in the coming days. Indeed the river is still slightly swollen but it’s going to start firing very soon, if not immediately and so it’s game on down there too.
Look for fish slightly off the banks not necessarily in tight while nypmhing. Big prince nymphs will produce and look for rising fish in slower edges, foam back eddies and out of the main current.
Things are lighting up in northwest Montana so stay tuned for frequent updates and give a shout if you want more details. Catch fish and have fun out there.