Kootenai River Outfitters Montana Fly Fishing Guides

Real time river flows can be found here.

Snow pack Information can be found here.

KRO 2009 Fly Fishing and River Reports :

7/1/09

River is at 10k and will be going to 7k for the summer. A bit lower than we would like but should make for some great fishing. It's been sunny and warm here for a week or so and as soon as the water levels off we'll be into summer prime time. Caddis and PMD's are the staples. Olives on cloudy days. No hoppers yet but not too far off.

Tribs are still in great shape and should fish well for a few more weeks at least depending on weather. Forecast is for upper 80's to 90's but it is summer time after all.

Streamers, Big bug attractors, nymph it. Work what it takes unless you see something specific happening. It's time to fish, give us a call and we'll be happy to help!

6/23/09

Just a quick update. Koot will be going to 15k soon for a week or so. It is fishing great right now with amazing olive hatches on the cloudy days. We're seeing a lot of fish to the surface during the cool cloudy parts of the day. Forecast is for warming through the end of the week. PMD's will be going strong soon.

Tribs are also fishing very well. Perfect conditions really, not too high or low right now and lots of bugs. Very active fish and plenty of them. High Mtn Lakes are primo right now. The next few weeks are the best of all worlds fishing. Give us a call and let us get you out on the water.

6/19/09

Well, we're dropped down to 20k on the big river. Sturgeon should be happy campers. Trout are now going to be looking up. Water clarity is good and the temps are rising. Starting to see some PMD's. Koot will drop down to 15k in another few days and then drop one more time for the summer. We have had good water for 3 years straight now with no flooding or spills which is making for some great fishing and fish. Bugs are doing well.

Tribs are still in great shape and fishing quite well. Still seeing Stones of all shapes and sizes plus a good helping of drakes and caddis. Another couple or few weeks of floatability on the Yaak and Bull till they are too low to float. Then wading season kicks in.

High mountain lakes are either iced off or just doing so. Everything below 5500 feet or so is good to go and this is a real good time to get there. All in all it's a shaping up to be a great summer of fishing all around. Let us get you out on the water, it's time to fish!

6/15/09

A few more days of sturgeon flows and we'll start to drop down to 15k for a week and then to steady summer flows somewhere in the 6-9k range. Great water for the summer season. Things are looking real good for July and beyond. Right now the big river needs to settle for a bit though. Tribs are in fine condition and should be fishing well for some time to come. Give us a call and let us get you on the water. Get out and fish!

6/4/09

The Koot is high but fishable. Better up top due to a bit of high trib run off. It will ramp up in the next few weeks for sturgeon flows. Look for steady good water all summer long after that. As things go right now we are in for a great water season. Tribs are still a bit high but we seem to have peaked and are on the way down. The Yaak, Lake Creek and tha Bull are all in good condition and will be fishing great for a while now. Still high for the next couple of weeks but clearing from the top down. High lake are icing off and will be in good shape for a while now. Give us a call and let us get you on the water.

5/28/09

Bout blown out! Well, our top elevation snow is in full retreat and heading down the mountains. The Koot is high, cold and colored up pretty good. It will also be ramping up in next couple of weeks. Summer flow schedules are looking great though. We should be in for a wonderful water season. The tribs are now high, cold and cloudy also. The top ends of the watersheds will clear first and offer the best bet for moving water in the next couple of weeks. Right now lakes are the best choice and producing well.

5/23/09

Things have started to settle out after a quick warm spell and blow out. The Koot is still running cold and a little high. Look for it to ramp up in the next few weeks as they do the normal spring flush. The tribs are steadily getting into good shape from the top down. Stones, Salmonflies, and Drakes are all going to be the key for the next couple of weeks. There is definitely good fishing to be had and a few more days of cool nights and 70 degree days are forecasted so it should be real good here very soon. I'll keep you informed.

5/19/09

What a difference a day, a bit of rain, and some 86 degree weather make. In less than 36 hours things have blown out here pretty good. Some cooler weather has moved in though so hopefully it will settle down in a few days. Right now though, lakes are about the only option. I'll keep you posted.

5/18/09

It is definitely time to fish. This weekends general season opener has been the best in recent years. We have yet to get any kind of real blow out as the temps have been mild so the tribs are in great shape. That could change with a good warm spell though as we still have some decent snow up top. The Koot is a bit cold but the warmer part of the day will produce.

The tributaries are a different story entirely. We are seeing stellar hatches of March Browns and swarms of Carpenter Ants. Also just starting to see Green and Grey Drakes along with Golden and Yellow Stones with a few Salmonflies thrown in. We're seeing some very nice fish. The next two or three weeks promise to be some of the best fishing of the season. If you like small water and bigger fish, now is the time. Get here before it blows out!

Give us a call or send us an email and let us get you out on the water. Come relax at one of the cabins and catch some of the best fishing of the year in the next few weeks. The end of May and June are looking real good for the guest ranch water. If you can get here on short notice and spend a day or two, now is the time!

5/11/09

Cool cloudy weather continues. Run off so far has been fairly mild. The Koot though is on it's way up. Look for high cold water on the main river while we push out the normal spring flush.

The tribs are in pretty good shape though. The Yaak, Lake Creek and the Bull should all be fishable this coming Saturday for the opener. At least if this cool weather holds. A warm spell might blow things out but so far none is in the forecast. Great caddis action has been observed this last week or so. Big bugs are near. Look for green and grey drakes with salmonflies and golden stones soon. Big streamers are going to be the ticket though for this weekend. Opening day is near. Get out and fish!

5/1/09

Run off is going well this year. No hot weather and no big blow out. Sunny warm weather for the first part of May. Koot is still cold but starting to see some bugs. Very little surface action though. Lots of caddis starting to pop. A few more days of warm weather might get the flying ants moving too. Tribs are looking to be in great shape for the season opener May 16th. However everything is weather dependent and there's still a couple of weeks to go. Low elevation lakes are in good shape and producing fish. Upper lakes have a while to go yet. All in all it's looking to be a great season shaping up here, give us a call and let us help you plan a great vacation!

4/14/09

Looks like we're finally going to move out of winter. Forecast for this next week is temps into the 80's. Right now we have seen a fairly normal March and April and our snowpack is looking good. High temps are going to get the lower elevation tribs running high and dirty for a bit and the Koot will probably not be an option for a couple weeks or so till they start to drop and clear. Things are looking real good for the general season opener on the tribs May 16th. But that's still a month away and time will tell. I'll keep things posted.

3/9/09

Cold again! Looks like this week we're into winters last grips....I think. Temps into the minus zero range for the next couple of nights. However long range for next week and beyond has highs in the mid to upper 50's. That should get some fish moving. Too soon to see major bug activity but some midges and maybe an olive or two could be the ticket. Streamers and nymphs worked slow and deep too. Some sun will definitely get things rolling in the right direction though. River is still at 4000 cfs and cold. We'll keep you posted when things change.

2/15/09

Well, time for a mid winter update. River is at 4000 cfs and will remain that way for a while. Probably thru spring. Makes for some good fishing here in a month or so. Right now it's a nymph game. But it's still too cold. Our snowpack is in need of some. We're running pretty low at the moment but time is still on our side. March and April can be wet. Lets hope so for tributary sake. I'll keep things updated as conditions warrant and time goes on. Thanks for stopping by.

1/3/2009

Greetings and happy new year. Welcome to 09! Just wanted to jot down a few lines and give a winter update. So far we're having a pretty decent winter. Snow pack is looking good all over. Storm after storm has been rolling through and dumping snow to the valley floors. So 2 years in a row we've had what used to be considered normal. Lets hope it continues. I'll keep things updated as we near spring. In the mean time have a great winter!