2026 KOOTENAI RIVER SEASON OUTLOOK

It’s mid-June as I write and things could not be looking better for the Kootenai River.

While snowpack at lower and mid-elevations was abnormally light this past winter, the Kootenai basin recieved tremendous amounts of moisture. Heavy rain at low elevations provided good snowpack in the high country and obviously good moisture at lower elevations.

In December we experienced floods, torrential multi-day heavy rains, and the trend continued through April.

What does this mean? It means the Kootenai River will be in fantastic shape for the season. Flows are expected to level off around 10,000 cfs for the summer which offers perfect conditions for both wading and floating the Kootenai River in July, August, and September.

We’re excited for the season and want to give a shout out to Greg Hoffman, Libby Dam biologist, for constantly keeping a keen eye on every detail surrounding the Kootenai River and especially for having a hand in how flows are managed.

Give us a call anytime at 406-295-4872. And check out our online shop for all Linehan Outfitting and Orvis gear. https://linehan-outfitting.myshopify.com/

Tim Linehan with angler on Kootenai river.