KRO 2006 Fly Fishing and River Reports :

11/6/06

Well another great year on the Koot is done. Though fishing is technically still open on the big water the river is up to 9000+ cfs and the weather is for the ducks. We're in the woods hunting now so it will be late winter or early spring before we move back out onto the water and start posting reports. The river can fish well still right now and mid winter if we get a warm spell. For now though we're done.

Have a great winter, see you in the spring!

Come see us at the ISE Shows this year!

10/16/06

Cloudy, cool and rainy looks to be setting in for a while. A BIG storm and low pressure system moved in and the last two days and the river / fish have pretty much shut down. Expect the fish to turn back on as soon as the fish get settled in to the new weather. Olives are starting to show and streamers can produce well too. We will post any updates as needed but it's about hunting season. There's still a few good weeks of fishing to be had though so get out and fish soon as the season is winding down.

10/10/06

Fall flows are here for good and the river is at 4500 cfs. Weather has been bright sunny days in the 50's to 60's with cooler 20's evenings. Some October caddis still showing and a few hoppers still bouncing around. Olives will make a showing if we get some cloudy days but right now it's bright and spooky with 20+ feet of visibility. Pull some streamers too. Tribs are very low and we are in need of rain bad. They really aren't an option at this point unless we get a good dumping of rain. Lakes still have a week or so though.

9/28/06

Koot is on it's way down for the fall and winter. Flows will probably level off around 6,000 cfs for a bit and then down to 4,000 cfs after a while. Great fishing and flows for wading and targeting bigger fish. October Caddis are out and some bigger fish are looking up. Streamer fishing is also producing well. Indian summer has set in for a bit and cloudy cooler mornings are giving way to bright sunny afternoons. Highs in the 80's for a while anyway. Tribs are low and in need of rain but some very nice fish are starting to stack up ready for the fall spawn. Still plenty of season left to be on the water. Olives and Mahoganys on cloudy days have been real good. Elk are bugling and grouse nervous! We'll keep you posted on flows.

9/17/06

Cooler wet weather has set in. Highs in the 50's and low 60's. Cloudy days have really turned on the Olives and Mahogany's and the fish have responded too. The Koot is fishing GREAT right now and should continue to produce well for a while. Tribs are done for the most part. River is at 9,000 cfs and holding. Might drop down at the end of the month. Size #20 - 22 Olives and #14 - 18 Mahogany emergers and "no - hackles" have been the flies to fish. Small nymphs dropped off a bigger fly pre emergence too. Throw some streamers for bigger fish in the slower part of the day. When in doubt toss a big Red Chernobyl Ant.....drag free on a llloooooonnnngggggg drift. There are a lot of fish being caught right now. Be stealthy!

9/9/06

River is at 9,000 cfs and holding steady. Some good wading to be had at this level. Black Midges #22 - 24 have been a good bet during the day. Sporadic PMD's still and Olives on the cloudy days. Weather is still hot but supposed to cool off into the 70's by weeks end. Water is very clear and fish are very spooky. Long drag free drifts are the key. Throw some big bugs or streamers on a sinking line. Pound the banks and work the deeper runs. Also look for fish in the flats out river away from the bank. Tribs are still fishing but in need of rain to get the fall spawners moving. Sept is looking good so get out and fish!

9/2/06

River is on it's way down to 9,000 cfs and expected to hold there through out Sept. Fishing is over all consistently good. Evenings and mornings are starting to blend with mid day now so afternoons have been OK too. Fish still very spooky and a good bit of stealth and drag free drifting is needed for the better fish. Tribs are cool and their usual fall self. Low and clear but still fishing well. Nights have been cool in the 40's and even upper 30's so fall is in the air. Days are expected to be bright sunny and in the 90's this week though so summer isn't over yet. Fish are still taking big PMX's and such. PMD's and Ants. Plus there's a fair amount of midges taking good fish too. Small, black and size #22 - 24 cripples work well. Look for the Lime Green midges to start soon, and olives have been around on the cloudier days. Don't forget a sinking line and streamers! Looks to be a great Labor Day weekend so get out and fish!

8/25/06

Mix of weather for the last week. Some sunny hot and some cloudy. River is still at 14,000 cfs and no word yet on when they will be dropping it. Probably the end of August though. Fishing is , well,.....fishing! Some good days, some not so good. Fairly consistent though over the last few days. Olives and tiny "iddy bittys" have been making a showing on the cloudier days. Size #20-24 Midge Cripples and such. Big PMX's still taking fish too but when they are on the smaller bugs you'll need to match them. Throw a nymph during the day. Tribs are low and pretty much done for the year. Though they are cool enough and there's still a few resident fish hanging around.

8/18/06

Some sunny hot days, some cloudy with a few storms this past week. Fishing has been both great and mediocre, but that's the nature of the beast. Some smaller Olives going during the cloudy days. Look for them to be going good here in the coming weeks. Caddis are still out as well as PMD's during the sunny days. Evenings are fishing well. Mornings too. Still expecting the flows to come down soon....???.....who knows really. But we'll take 14,000 cfs as long as they want it! Cooler nights have the tribs and area streams in great shape. Sept is coming and that means BIG fish on BIG bugs. Get out and fish!

Hotter weather is supposed to set back in for a while so be sure to watch the temps on your local water. If it's too hot please don't fish. We have plenty of cool water up here! MT closures can be found here:

http://fwp.mt.gov/fishing/guide/waterclosure.aspx

8/12/06

Cooler wet cloudy weather has been around for a couple of days and fishing has slowed a bit. Look for some Olives to appear if this continues. Big Bugs and droppers have been the key. Nymphs need to be deep as fish aren't moving far till we see some bugs turn on. Tribs got a much needed shot of rain and are fishing good. Nights are cool in the upper 40's and days are in the upper 70's. That is supposed to change this week with temps back into the 90's. Hoppers will once again be hopping! River is at 14,000 cfs but should be dropping soon. Get out and fish!

8/6/06

Still at 14,000 cfs and fishing is good. Flows should be dropping soon as inflow has dropped below 7,000 cfs. A bit tougher during the day but most evenings the caddis have been great. Look for more activity as soon as the sun gets off the water. Try fishing a pupa pre hatch, results can be great! Tribs are about done. Still cool enough but low. No rain here in a while and it's still hot during the day. High mountain lake reports have been good and this would be a great time to go fish one. Be careful with water temps on any area tribs and if your thermometer says 70 or higher please give the fish a break. And if your local or favorite river is shut down because of heat, there's plenty of cold water in the Kootenai, come on up!

Current Montana Emergency Fishing Closures due to low water / high temps can be found here:

http://fwp.mt.gov/fishing/guide/waterclosure.aspx

7/28/06

River is down to 14,000 cfs. But the weather is still very hot and sunny. Plenty of cold water but mid day surface fishing is tough. Some action on bigger bugs....hoppers, PMX's and such but you need stealth and a long drag free drift. Try going down with some streamers or nymph in the heat of the day. Tribs are getting too low and warm for now. But early morning or late evenings should work. Please watch the temps, over 70 and don't fish. PMD's are sporadic through out the day and caddis are great the last couple of hours of light. Fish the shadows!

7/24/06

106 degrees yesterday....102 so far today......It's VERY HOT! And looks to continue at least 95 or better for a while. Make sure you have plenty of liquid and stay hydrated. Fishing the Koot is good even with the heat. Remember folks, even when the rest of the west is burning up, we always have plenty of COLD, very fishable water. If your favorite river is too hot, or in danger of being closed do to low water and high temps then why not think about a change and head this way? The Koot is in great shape and waiting for you!

Evenings are best right now or the crack of dawn, take your pick. Afternoons are for HOPPERS! All this heat has them turned on in a big way and the fish know it. Pound the banks and be as stealthy as possible. Long drag free drifts are key to better fish. Tribs are fishing well but PLEASE keep an eye on water temps and if you see 70 degrees or more don't fish! Give the fish a chance! Thank you!

7/20/06

HOT! Bright hot sunny days with not a cloud in sight. Temps in the 100's by weeks end. Summer is here. A great time to be IN the water. We're definitely getting out of the boat a lot and wading. Koot is fishing well as are all of the tribs. Tribs are wading only now as time for floating has been and gone. Throw BIG bugs and be stealthy. Koot is still at 17,000 cfs but fish are eating. Tough during the day but early mornings and evenings are producing good. The usual Caddis, PMD's and.......HOPPERS are HOPPING! Time to throw the BIG BUGS! This weeks weather will only turn them on more so if you're into the hopper thing, and who isn't.....time to fish!

7/13/06

Sorry for not reporting in the last week or so, been out on the water. Anyway the fishing is good to great depending on the day. Bright sun and it's tough. Get a few clouds and things are great. Lots of PMD's and Caddis in the evenings. Even a few Olives if the sun hides. Afternoon thunder storms have been popping up here the last couple of days so be careful! River is at 17,000 cfs and clear. Tribs are in their usual rockin' stellar shape.
It's fishing season folks. If your not then your missing it!

7/2/06

Koot is down to 19,000 cfs!!! Yee Ha! Very fishable and fishing well especially in the evenings. PMD's and Caddis are the staples right now. Look for fish in the softer water and back eddies. Up in the grass and tight against the bank. Weather is great. Sunny and hot. Tribs are in great shape and fishing VERY well. Think stealth during the day. It's a wonderful holiday weekend. Happy 4th everyone!

6/29/06

Koot is fishing GREAT! Down below 24 k/cfs so it's high but fishing well. Last nights PMD hatch was amazing and we are very happy to see it happening. We still haven't covered every inch of the river since they dropped it all the way but will have by this weekend and report back again. Bugs are just stellar right now.

As of now things look to be OK from our.......um... "high water event". Fish were up and happily feeding untill their bellies were so big that they gave up!

As per status quo Tribs are fishing great. It's fishing season folks. If you're not then you are missing some of the best of the year. Weather is sunny with some high clouds. High 80's to Mid 90's day time but cooling nicely at night. Perfect fishing weather really. This is going to be a great holiday period coming up, get out and fish!

6/27/06

Beautiful sunny weather. Temps in the 90's. Great time to be wading or floating a stream or lake. Tribs fishing well and will be for a while to come. Days are tough, mornings and evenings best but fish can be taken all day if you're stealthy enough. PMD's, Caddis, Small Brown Quills, Big Bugs, Big Nymphs, Streamers, Caddis Pupas / Emergers.

Koot is down to 25 - 26 k/cfs which means it should be ready to go this weekend. Had a really good report come in last night to verify that it is fishing pretty good already. We'll be back on it for a couple of days to see how the high water has effected the fishery. But initial looks and reports are that it wasn't too bad. We didn't have nearly the lower elevation run off this year as we did back in '02, hence we DID NOT have high water this year filled with endless mud and debris. The fish appeared to just have hunkered down and road it out. It will definitely be ready to go for the holiday period coming up unless we have an absolute freak act of nature......which the way we've been going is a possibility! Get up here and fish!

6/24/06

Sunny, blue bird stellar days. Every tributary water shed in this part of the Rockies is fishing great right now. Forget the Koot, it needs another week or a few days at 20-25 k/cfs before it's an option. On the other hand the Yaak, Lake Creek, Bull, Lightning Creek, Thompson and other tribs are great places to be right now. There's lots of solitude, scenery and great fishing to be had right now. Fish deep and stealthy in the day. Caddis, PMD's, Big Bugs on top in the shaded water. There's tons of Lakes up top here too folks that rarely see another soul if you want to really get away. Get out and fish!

6/22/06

Tribs are ROCKIN! For those of you watching from out of state and wondering when to be here....now would be the time. Water levels are about perfect in all the tribs. Fish are there and eating well. It's sunny and hot. Summer is here. Fishing will be better morning and evenings but we've been taking fish all day. Green Drakes still, PMD's, Caddis, Streamers etc. All have been taking fish. You could go either root of wading or floating right now. Toons being the preferred way but wading is just starting to be an option too.

The Koot is on it's way down but still not an option. We'll keep you posted.

6/20/06

Well the forecast if finally for sunny dry weather and it looks like that is starting to happen. We need a good long dry week or two really. Koot is blown and expect it to be a week or 10 days easily till we even think about it. Probably the 1st of July before the big river is fiahable but we'll keep you posted.

Good news is that now that the weather seems to be turning for the summer it looks like the tribs and creeks will be fishing real good real soon. With a few days of sunny weather the Bull, Lake Creek, Yaak and even Lightning Creek over in Idaho should be fishing well. Also don't forget that there are a lot of good Mountain Lakes up here that are now ready to go too.

Bottom line is if you like smaller water walk / wading or pontoons / float tubes there's some real good fishing. It's a great time to be here really. Plenty of solitude incredible scenery and fish. Just explore a little!

6/17/06

The Kootenai is at 52,000 + cfs and flooding bad. The US Army Corp of Engineers should be absolutely ashamed of them selves. Peoples heads should roll for what they have allowed to happen to this river system. They are devastating an entire ecosystem because of total incompetence and mis management. An average high school student with a pocket calculator could do a better job at water control and run off then these buffoons. This is your tax dollars at work folks. Way too much detail to go into here but suffice it to say that there's no need to come up here to fish the big river.

Tribs are fishing OK right now but water levels are still high. Dropping though. The only good news to report is at least the sun is poking through the clouds and the forecast is for sunshine the next several days.

6/14/06

Rain, rain, and more rain. Some one call Noah we need an arc. Koot is still blown, tribs will be coming up and right now the fishing pretty much sucks. However if you need to get out the upper parts of the Yaak, Bull, Callahan, and Lake Creek are fishing OK but for the most part we need some good weather before we'll think about it.

6/9/06

What a difference a day makes. Copious amounts of rain have turned everything off for a while. Tribs are back up and will need a few days anyway before they become fishable again.

The Kootenai is Bbblllooowwwnnnn! 40,000 + cfs. Thanks our Corp of Engineers, BPA, USFW, and a host of others, water management on the Kootenai River has once again gone to hell. If you are thinking of heading this way to fish....don't. We need a week to recover. Maybe more. We'll keep you posted.

6/8/06

Tribs are still fishing well but they are back up and recent rain, a lot of rain last night, will have them holding steady or even rising for a day or two. The upper parts of the tribs are still your best bet. Floating is really the only option right now as there is limited wading. Fishing is great though. Big bugs. Green Drakes, Golden Stones, Salmonflies, Nymphs and Streamers are all taking fish. And some nice fish at that. We need a week of no rain before the tribs get wadeable. But they may be done with big bugs by the time that they are. If you have access to a pontoon, kayak, drift boat etc now is the time to get on the tribs.

The Koot is still high and off colored. Visibility 3 or 4 feet. Fish are deep, in the soft water and back eddies / seems bunched up. Bugs are sporadic. Little Blue Quills, few Olives and Caddis. The Koot is roughly a week or so away from good fishing right now. We need to drop about 5000 cfs and then we'll be rockin!

6/2/06

Koot is high but fishing well. Upper River is now open for the rest of the season. Expect good flows all summer steadily decreasing as the season goes by. Water is clear bugs are out. Caddis and even some reports of PMD's. Real early though. Ants are taking fish too. Looks to be a great weekend. Look for fish tight against the banks, in the back eddies and channels and the softer water.

Tribs are just awesome right now. Drakes, Salomonflies, Golden Stones are all out. This is a two or three week window at best folks. The higher up into water sheds the better right now but as the next week or two go by water will be lowering and the bugs will slowly move down river. Water is still running high but dropping quick as most of the snow pack has melted. Throw streamers and nymphs deep in the pools during the sunny part of the day. If you get into rising fish a Green Drake Cripple has been deadly. Some very nice fish are being caught now and that should continue for the next couple of weeks. Get out and fish!

5/30/06

The Drakes are out! The Drakes are out! Green that is....on the tribs. OK folks here's your chance at some of the best fishing of the year on the tribs. BIG fish are in the tribs from the lakes and main river and the Green Drakes are coming off. Yesterday was the first day this season that I have seen them so that means a couple of things. First off the Salmonfies have been sporadic so far and I have yet to see but a few Golden Stones make an appearance. But with the emergence of the Drakes expect to see the others any time. This is a 2 to 3 week window at best so now is the time. Secondly.....the tribs are still running fairly high but dropping. A pontoon will do you wonders right now as wading will be very limited. You will need something floatable to get to the fish. If you wait till the tribs lower you will miss some of the best action of the year.

A couple words of CAUTION! Though the water on the Bull, Lake Creek, and Yaak is clearing well it is still fairly high and dangerous wading in places. Please be careful. Use common sense. If you are in doubt, don't do it! This years high water has changed portions of the streams significantly. New log jambs, holes, undercut banks, etc. Be sure to check things out as best as possible first and be ready to do some portaging. Well worth the effort though.

The Koot is clearing well and fishable. High water with very limited wading. But the fish are looking up, and down for that matter. Caddis, Olives, Blue Quills, Midges, Pupas, Bead heads, Streamers, Big Nymphs. Time to fish folks, the season is here!

5/26/06

Well the Koot has cleared up enough to fish on the upper end from the Fisher down to Big Horn anyway. Troy down is OK but still needs a few days. You will still find muck dumping in from the tribs but no where near as bad as a few days ago. Water is HIGH, COLD and dangerous to wade. Don't even think about it. Bring a boat, toon, or hire a guide. Limited dry fly action. Olives, Quills, Caddis and a few Salmonflies and Golden Stones here and there. For the most part you need weight and you need to be down. Streamers, big nymphs. Tribs are pretty much shot for this holiday weekend except for the upper end of some. And I mean WAY up. Another week or so anyway to be prime. But there is some fantastic fishing right around the corner. This higher water has moved some big fish into the tribs and they will be there for a while anyway. If you like smaller water and bigger fish this next month or so is THE time to be here. Give us a call and let us get you out on the water. With this earlier high temp run off that we have had don't expect the tribs to still be fishing in Aug / Sept unless we get a wet summer. If you want small water then this next month is the time. That being said our weather has turned from the 90's and sunny to the 50's and cloudy / rain. Just in time for the holiday weekend! No matter, still a great time to fish!

5/23/06

A quick update for any one thinking about this upcoming holiday weekend. In general, stick to the lakes. Though there is some limited fishing on the Koot. The big river is just starting to clear however the tribs are mucking it up pretty well. Still running at 25,000 + too. Best bet for this weekend if you need a river fix would be Re Reg to town for an all day float. Town to Big Horn will be a REAL quick float at this point and the dam is closed till June 1st. Troy on down is blown out from the tribs and not worth the effort as of today. Might be an option this weekend though. Tribs are on their way down, barely, but still at least a week off. I'll keep you posted. Right now they are dangerous to wade and too muddy to even think about fishing. Find a lake! As soon as things start to look good I will post an update.

5/20/06

Well it's the general season opener and it's ugly! High water every where. Tribs have at least a week till they clear up enough to fish and the big river is rolling at 25,000 + cfs. Lakes are it right now. It's also been raining hard for the better part of the day so any snow pack that this last weeks temps didn't get is sure to be got now. Keep an eye on the river gauges and the weather. We need some good moderate temps and no rain before things improve. If you're thinking of headed this way to do any river fishing in the next week I would HIGHLY suggest waiting at least a week and possibly two. Unless we get some real good weather and no more rain this week next weekend, Memorial Day, is very "iffy" at this point. But the lakes should be great. Maybe the upper parts of some of the tribs. We'll keep you posted. The upper Koot should be a good bet come June 1st when it opens but you better have a boat as we will have high water.

5/17/06

Yikes! What a difference a day makes. 90 + degrees = Bbbblllloooowwwwnnn out tribs. BIG Time. Which means that the general season opener this Sat is pretty much shot at this point. My best guess is that the tribs need at least a week to calm down, but with this heat the snow up top is disappearing fast so it could be OK this weekend but I wouldn't count on it. The Koot is at 25,000 cfs for a couple of weeks anyway but the only clear water is up top and the dam to the bridge is closed till June 1st. Which pretty much leaves squat right now.

However, this is all actually good news as it's scouring the river, which needed it, and it's getting rid of the run off early which means a longer better season! As soon as this run off is done, which could be a week or so, look for fantastic conditions on the tribs. The Koot will be high but quite fishable all summer. Not much wading probably unless you have a boat and can get to the good spots. We'll keep you updated as conditions warrant.

If your looking for good water this weekend I would highly suggest sticking to the lakes.

5/16/06

Sunny and hot. Too hot. Record heat for this time of year. Highs in the mid 90's. River is on it's way up to 25,000 cfs for sturgeon flows but looks to be in real good shape. No spill from the dam just high water which is great news and means a great season. We'll need a couple of weeks for things to settle out but by mid June the Koot will be in great shape. What this heat does to the tribs for this opening weekend is another story. 90 + degrees is going to blow out any snow pack that is left up top and could raise our tribs quite a bit. However at this time they are only up a bit so the ranch water and other tribs should be fantastic this weekend. Salmonflies, Golden Stones, and Green Drakes are all out and the fish are eating them. If you like smaller water now is one of the best times of year to be on it. Just be careful as it could be on the rise. Shop will be opening this weekend too and we'll have some body there mornings and early after noons till the end of the season. Remember, general season opener is this Saturday the 20th and the smaller tribs look awesome. Get out and fish!

4/29/06

Well the sun has been out for a week straight making for some great weather but tough fishing. Trout are in post - spawn mode now and ought to be getting back into the main river from the tribs. Very few surface bugs during the middle of the day with the sun out like this. What you do see will be Olives, Midges, and some Caddis. Work deep with nymphs and streamers. The Kootenai is still at roughly 5 to 6000 cfs and visibility is 3 to 4 feet. Don't forget that the Koot is open except for the upper 3 miles or so down to the Hwy 37 bridge is closed until June 1st. Run off is continuing at a steady pace and the lower valley streams and tribs look to be in awesome shape for the season opener on May 20th. If things stay the same as years past look for great fishing then. Salmonflies, Green Drakes, and Golden Stones in that time period on the tribs. If you haven't experienced this folks, it is definitely a good time to do some small stream fishing with BIG BUGS for BIG fish. So if you can be here....be here. Early season looks great and still have openings for lodging so give us a call and let us get you out on the river!

4/19/06

Sun is out, river is down and clearing up good. Lower valley run off about done. Which should combine to make some great early season fishing. Look for March Browns, Baetis, Midges and even some caddis starting to show. Stone Fly Nymphs and Streamers down deep. Temps into the 70's for the next couple of days. Spring is here and the water is in great shape. Time to fish!

4/14/06

River is at roughly 6000 cfs and a bit off color from lower valley run off. We're still getting a lot of rain so it's not clearing up too quick. It is fishable though. Water temps in the low 40's. Rainbows getting ready to spawn soon so throw some streamers to the banks and trib mouths. But leave the redds alone if you spot any. Most will be way up top and in the tribs. Midges, Olives and March Browns on top with nymph patterns to match. Top end of the Koot re opens 6/1 and the general season opener on the 3rd Sat of May. This year, as usual looks to be a great opener on the creeks and tribs. The ranch water is looking prime with hatched of caddis already starting. End of May and the first part of June will be BIG BUGS......golden stones, green drakes, and salmonflies. If you've never experienced this now is the time to make a reservation and do some smaller stream wading with us.

4/3/06

Not too bad for the first part of April. Water at 40 - 41 degrees and about 7000 cfs. Pods of rising fish in the warmer part of the day. Olives and March Browns. Tons of Midges. Streamers taking nicer fish too. Temps in the upper 50's to Mid 60's in the afternoons and that's when the ish are most active. Although there are a few rises in the evening. All in all not a bad time to be fishing.

3/26/06

Warmer days and rain for the last several. Temps in the mid 50's to lower 60's this last week but quite a bit of rain in the valleys with a good amount of snow up top. Snow pack is still looking good. River is at 9000 cfs and a bit off color from all of the rain. Should clear up with a couple of nice days though. This could be a great week to be out mid afternoons as the window of opportunity is confined to a few hours in the warmth of the day. Olives, Midges, Streamers, Bead heads and Big Stone Nymphs too are the key flies right now. Saw a very early LARGE stonefly yesterday but the main hatch is still weeks away. Water temp is still 38 degrees or so. Remember that the top of the river closes down for 2 months starting April 1st so now is the time to get up there and chase some fish with bigger bugs!

3/11/06

River is at 9000 cfs and cold! Water at 38 to 40 degrees. Little Olives and Midges right now in the warmer part of the day. Nymphs and streamers down deep. Snow pack is still looking good. Fishing is primarily confined to the middle of the day right now but that could change with a warm spell.

2/21/06

Just a couple of quick notes to get the year started. Water is looking great so far but it's a bit early to tell what the coming months will bring. Snow pack is running about 100 to 110% of normal so if things hold up all in all it should be an average year for run off. Time will tell and we'll keep you updated. Keep an eye on the weather if you can travel on short notice because a few warm days towards the end of March could really turn things on. In the mean time think spring!

(Archived 2004 Reports can be found here.)

(Archived 2005 Reports can be found here.)