KOOTENAI RIVER FISHING REPORT

May 16, 2025

Kootenai River (ID)

Water Temps: 45F HEAT OF THE DAY

Flows:  14,100 cfs @ Leonia

We have received a nice little pause in the spring runoff and the Kootenai is actually on the drop this week and fishing excellent! A dry dropper set up has been working great with a #8 Plan-B on top with a #16 Duracell or Blow Torch about 3’ below the dry has been working well, the nymph is getting more attention, but the dries are getting eaten up as well! These little windows of opportunity can make for some awesome fishing on the Kootenai if you can get out there before the next push of water I would! Leonia ramp opens June 1st!

Plan B Purple #10-8 Extended Body March Brown #14 Rocky Mountain Mint Adams #14 Parachute Adams #14-#16 Wooly Bugger #6-#10; Ice Off Leech #10; Sculpzilla #8-#6; Mini Dungeon #6; She Demon #2;  Trout Spey Bugger #6 Slayer #4 ; Duracell Jig #14-#18; Lazy J Stone #10; Pat’s Rubber Legs #14; Blow Torch Hare’s Ear Jig #10-#14; MFC Thrasher Jig #14; Peach Fuzz Jig #16; Zebra Midge #20-#16; Soft Hackles BWO #18-#12; Parachute BWO #18; RS-2 Emerger #20 

Pend Oreille River/Lake

Lake level 2,057ft and rising  

Flows out of Albeni Dam 41,000 CFS

Water Temp: 53F

HATCHES – Streamers

Pend Oreille River  

Above Albeni Falls dam is going to offer the best conditions for the near future due to the increase in flows expected this week coming out of Albeni Dam due to more runoff headed our way as well as the effort to keep filling Lake Pend Orelle to summer pool. So, I would suggest that the best action will be on lake Pend Oreille side of things until the dam stops releasing so much water. The Smallmouth action on the lake has been lights out lately, with a water temp of 53-54 and plenty of bait in the water, the nice ones are out eating baitfish flies like crazy right now. This is a good time for fly anglers to find that big smallmouth up shallow. When I went out last week if there was a rip rap edge going into the water or any sort of rock structure there was nice Smallmouth hanging right on tight to it. Letting your fly sink into the zone is crucial and then varying your retrieve to find what they like has been working best. As for the pike we are still seeing nice pike being caught up shallow on flies. Fishing a Floating line with a fly around 5’-8” with plenty of flashy has been working best. 

Jungle Junky #4/0 Skinny Dipper #2 Game Changers 5”-7” Whammy Tomahawk #1/0 ManBearPig #2/0 Woolly Buggers #6-#8; She Demon White #4; Mini Dungeon #4; Small Crayfish Patterns #6-#8; Slump Buster White/Yellow/Natural; Praska Minnow #4 Foxy Cleopatra #4 Slayer #4 Small Game Changers #4 Clouser Minnow #4 

Small Lakes

The Little lakes are still offering great fishing, we have been seeing a lot more lily pads and vegetation popping back up for the season which is typically the kickoff to top water popper fishing for Bass and Panfish! Water temps on the surface are at around 64 for most of the small lakes which will mean the trout are starting to already head deeper during mid-day but they are still eating heavily during the morning and evening hours. They just seem to slide off slightly deeper during the hot part of the day. For most of our lakes we will start seeing “Turnover” What is turnover you ask? Turnover happens to lakes in the spring and the fall and what happens is the 2 water levels in a lake mix and switch places, so the deep water that is more dense comes to the surface and the less dense water that was on the surface sinks to the bottom and the thin line that separates them is called the thermocline. What this means to the Angler is that it can really mess with the fish and their feeding as they are trying to regulate after the change in the water conditions. It can also cloud up a lake with sediment and junk making fishing tough. So, if you are seeing a slow day out there and the lake looks a little off color and dirty it is probably flipping over or did a day or two ago. It can take the fish a day or two to get back to normal. 

Praska Minnow #4 Foxy Cleopatra #4 Balanced Leech #10 Chironomids #14 - #16 Boobies Blobs Simi Seal Leech #12 Buggers #10-#14 Scuds #14-#16 Kreelex Minnow #6 Mini Dali Lama #4 Game Changers Clouser Minnow #4 Panfish Poppers


KOOTENAI RIVER FLOW DATA


NORTH IDAHO WEATHER FORECAST


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is the Kootenai River good for fishing?
The Kootenai River provides exceptional trout fishing by any angler's standards. Home to big rainbows, cutthroat trout, bull trout and even the occasional brown trout, this is an incredible fishery with trout commonly 12-16" in size. On the Montana side, there is plenty of public access with boat ramps distributed from Libby Dam down river to the end of River Road. One important thing to note, there are no takeouts beyond the end of the road and the impassable Kootenai Falls lay downstream. Below Kootenai Falls, the most common section for good fishing is from Leonia to Moyie River confluence. This is a seasonal fishery that opens June 1st through October 15th, but be sure to check the regs! Official information is posted here.
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