NW Montana Trip

[golferjeff]

I recently had the opportunity to spend 6 days fishing the Kootenai River Valley in Northwest Montana.  The trip was hosted by Orvis Plano fishing manager Steven Palmer.  Our group included 5 anglers from DFW and Boston, MA.  I had never been to Montana to fish, so this was all new water to me.  The Kootenai River was the main target.  The 'K' begins in Canada, flows into Montana and is dammed near Libby, MT before flowing west and north back into Canada where it dumps into the Columbia River.  It is a huge western river, with spring flows exceeding 20,000 CFS and summer flows at 7000 CFS.  The river averages over 100 yards wide and has several areas over 40 feet deep.  The K is best fished via drift boat/raft while the tributaries can often be fished via foot.  Target species include Rainbows, Redbands, Westslope cutthroats, Bull trout, whitefish, and Brook Trout.  The river is knows for its acrobatic rainbows averaging 12-16".  Trophy fish are 22" and above and the occasional Bull Trout can eclipse 30".  We saw several of the former and zero of the latter.  Here is a daily journal of our fishing and sometimes non-fishing happenings:

Friday July 15 - Boarded a Delta Airlines flight to Spokane, WA with a connection in Salt Lake City.  All travel went well and we were on our way to the river by 10 am Pacific time.  After losing an hour crossing back into Mountain time zone, we were wetting a line just after lunch in Troy, MT.  We decided to try and area near Kootenai Falls.  Uh, no.  We weren't exactly prepared for the volume of water we encountered.  We decided to play tourists instead and visit the falls and the 'Swinging Bridge'.  (PIC #1 and #2)  The river was amazing.  We spent an hour or so just watching people and enjoying the 70 degree weather.  After a nice little hike, we moved upriver above the falls to start our fishing.  There aren't many places to wade on the Kootenai, it's just too big.  We went to a boulder strewn stretch along highway 2 and got to work.  The size of the boulders was incredible.  Most were bigger than my car.  The wading was tough, but once we found the right spots and right way to present flies, it was game on.  In about 3 hours we netted about 12 rainbows and nice cuttie.  The fast water made it hard to drift flies, but swinging caddis was very effective.  The small rainbows and cuttbows put on awesome aerial fights.  even a 10" fish on this stretch put a bend in my 5wt rod.  (PIC #3).  After finishing by landing a nice 13" 'bow, we headed toward Libby, MT to meet our other anglers and settle in at our riverside lodge.  After unpacking we had a very nice gourmet dinner courtesy of Linehan Outfitting Company (Joanne Linehan).  Joanne is a gourmet chef and cooked wonderful meals every evening of our stay.  For more on Linehan outfitting, click here.  www.fishmontana.com.  A float down the Kootenai was in store for the next day, so after a beer, a cigar, and a couple of lies, we all headed to bed.

Day 1 pics  Kootenai falls, Steven on the Swinging Bridge, First Kootenai rainbow, view from the River Lodge, drink and vice of choice

                         

    

[golferjeff]

Day 2 - My fishing partner Michael and I decided to float the Kootenai from Libby Dam to a pullout 8 miles downstream. The area near the dam is very clear, very deep, and very fishy. The first two make the last one kind of frustrating. We mainly threw dry flies toward the bank in about 3-5 feet of water. We could literally see thousands of fish (mostly whitefish here) sitting near the bottom of the river. the rainbows like to suspend themselves a little, so we just hoped for the dry fly bite to be on. We got some clouds and a little rain, so it helped the surface fishing a lot. Our bug of choice was a purple and pink chubby. It matched NOTHING that was on the water, but the fish seemed to like it. We learned that Kootenai fish love red, purple, and pink. Of course, I left my pink near deeres at home.... dangit. Who would've thought I might need them on 100% wild fish?  We caught fish consistently thru the morning on top.  Most fish were 10-12" but all of them leapt from the water upon being hooked.  It was a circus.  I had boat front honors, so I hooked the majority of fish (note to self, always put your gear in front of boat when teaming up!).  Again, the river is so big, no one has to cover the same water, but it helps to be in front while casting and drifting.  I landed about a dozen fish before lunch and Michael maybe another half dozen.  We had a mid stream lunch while watching a mature 4th year bald eagle eat his lunch (rainbow trout).  We compared notes with our fellow LOC boat and decided to mix it up on the second half of the float. 

Michael and I switched spots in the boat (nuts!) and drifted downriver. We were going to nymph some faster water that pushed against the rocks.  I threw in first and hooked into a nice slot rainbow.  Michael followed and immediately hooked an even better fish.  I quickly landed my fish (pat's rubberlegs on 4x) and watched Mike battle his hen.  The fish jumped 6-8 times, landing on her belly with a resounding 'smack' each time.  One leap brought her to almost eye level with us in the boat.  After several runs, another leap, and finally a head wiggle, we landed the bright silver hen that taped at 21".  Our guide Eric said that drift slot hadn't produced a fish lately, but we got two on two drifts.  Michael's nice fish pic below.

The rest of the day was mostly dries as the clouds stayed around and temps hung in the 60's.  I can't tell you how happy I was to be out of Dallas and 100 degree weather.  We ran into a small Cranefly hatch (who knew?) and I tied on a size 12 dry.  We found some deadfall hanging into the water and I was hoping a cuttie would be home.  I was right.  He came out from under a log and inspected my fly before gulping it and taking off downstream.  The cutties did not fight as hard as the rainbows, but it was fun to see the bright orange colors on this fish as he came to net.  Pic below.  We each caught fish on various dries all afternoon.  T.A. would have been proud.  Most fish were between 10-16" and athletic.  We finished our float by each hooking a small rainbow at the take-out.  

Dinner that night was amazing again.  We all traded stories and pictures and had a good time talking about our days.  We watched several animals stroll thru the yard after dinner.  Birds, wild turkeys, squirrels, and white tail deer all visited us and Joanne's cooking aromas.  A little more Fireball and a chocolate cigar capped the evening.

Pics of Day 2 - Bald Eagle lunch, my nice Westslope Cutthroat, our boats, Michael's nice big hen, a typical 'slot' 13-18" rainbow (this one was 13)

              

[golferjeff]

Day 3 July 17 - Our float would take us from just above the town of Libby down to the canyon. I had a fly fishing beginner as my partner on this day, so I took the back of the boat so he could get some instruction. Bad idea. I spent the morning dodging errant hooksets and trying to help when possible.  Kurt got the hang of it as the day went on and caught several fish on dry flies. He never quite figured out the double nymph rig though. I never did catch a fish on a dry till late in the afternoon, but I landed several slot fish nymphing with Pat's rubberlegs and a pheasant tail. Along with the rainbows came Mountain Whitefish.  Lots of them. These fish hug the bottom and can be a nuisance while nymphing. They put up a bulldog fight when hooked, but they just aren't that much fun to catch or look at. The scenery on this day was a lot better as sun and blue sky came through. I got some pics of the canyon, Ospreys, Mergansers, more eagles, and a few of the surrounding mountains. The elevation of the river is between 2200 and 1900 feet. The Cabinet Mountains rise to over 8000'. The fishing was average, but we had fun.

The actual highlight of the day was sitting around after dinner. Several Whitetails saw it fitting to eat our apple tree in the field next to us. The weird thing to me was that they were ALL bucks. A 4 point, 2 six points, and a perfectly symmetrical 8 point just gobbled leaves and apples for an hour. Just after the deer left we had a Cooper's Hawk come by and snatch a baby warbler.  Nature at its best.  It helps that sunset in Northern Montana is after 10pm. 

Pics from day 3 - Another Koot rainbow, my ugly mug with nice 'bow, a perfect 8 point whitetail buck, Cooper's Hawk after dinner, Montana sunset

             

[golferjeff]

Day 4 July 18 - A group of 4 of us decided to travel up to the Canadian border to chase Cutties on an alpine glacial lake. A little jaunt up thru the Yaak Valley, 22 miles up a logging road, another 3 miles on a 4WD road and then a 1 kilometer hike to the lake. Simple. It was worth it.

Kurt, Michael, Phil (78 years young and getting younger), myself and 2 guides headed out at 8 AM. We arrived at 10:30. The mosquitoes almost drove us away once we arrived the parking area. There were millions of the little blood suckers. We unloaded the gear, pumped up the float tubes, put on the insect repellent, and headed up the trail to the lake.  The hike wasn't overly difficult or long, but my fat ass 270 lbs was huffing and puffing all the way. About 10 minutes later we arrived at paradise (cue the music). Words can't describe the beauty of this place. But I will try (with pics later).  The lake was about 3-5 acres in size. wooded hillside on one side, talus slope on the other. A small glacier fed the lake from the west. The lake was as deep as 22 feet but you could see every rock, stump, fish, and stick in it. Amazing. The lake was at about 6500 feet elevation and about 4.7 miles from the Canadian border. We geared up and jumped into the float tubes to begin slaying the small cutties that called this lake home.

We caught fish immediately and consistently every 2 minutes or so.  The lake was full of 5-10" native Westslopes. Midges were hatching all day and the lake was full of rise rings. No nymphs here, all dries all the time. Tie on any Adams, Royal Wulff, or Griffith's gnat in size 18-20 and have at it. If it had red in it, it was smashed. Hell, if it floated, it got smashed. No secrets, no games, and no drift boats. 20 feet of fly line, a 7' 5x leader, my 2 weight, and my float tube. All day long. The water was ice cold but I never got out of my tube all day. Too much fun. Even as an accountant I could not count how many fish we caught. Hundreds, easily. Nothing big, nothing else but cutties. Our largest fish all day was 12". Some of the cutties were mostly silver and copper, but some had brilliant red splotches among black spotted tails and telltale slashes on the chin. You had to see them to believe them. Pics are below.

An afternoon thunderstorm blew us off the lake about 5pm. Just was we packed up, the worst of it hit.  Hail the size of ping pong balls pelted down on us. We took cover as quickly as possible inside the safety of the vehicles. We were fine, but the vehicles didn't fare as well. Hoods were dented, windshields were chipped or cracked, and cabs were pockmarked. Oh yeah, and as I would later find out, my stashed car keys were nowhere to be found (more on that later).

Animals viewed on this day:  Pileated woodpecker, blue grouse, mama moose, Whistling Marmot (tried to take our lunches), and golden eagles. 

Pics from Day 4 below:  Gearing up at the lake, my first high elevation cuttie in colors, Phil the youngster in the float tube having a ball, more cuttie colors, a more typical colored cut.

                

 

[golferjeff]

Day 5 July 19th- Back up one day for a minute.  The car keys. In our haste to avoid being killed by crashing pellets of hail, we abandoned camp and scurried down the mountain in the vehicles. When we got back home, I could not find my car keys which I had stashed in a pocket of my duffel.  Somewhere between the lake and our house, they had gone missing.  A locksmith was called to open the car to get gear out.  The keys had to be one of four places - still in one of the guides' cars, lost at the parking spot, lost at the campsite, or at the bottom of the lake.  option 1 was eliminated after a lengthy search.  That made my decision to return to the alpine lake as easy one.  great fishing, beautiful scenery, and a search and rescue mission for my rental car keys. 

More pics from day 4 below:  The glacier that fed the lake, me in the float tube (can it carry me?), Panoramic view of the lake, slopes, and glacier, How deep do you think the water is in this picture?, a view of Canada.

                  

[golferjeff]

Day 5 July 19th - Back to the lake to find the keys. Steven from Orvis Plano went with me this time. Oh, in pic #4 above, where the mirror image of the slope meets the sky, the water is over 7 feet deep. Talk about crystal clear.... wow. Anyway, we arrive the parking spot for the lake. Lo and behold, what is on a stump attached to a stick? My keys! They had tire tracks on them, so they must have fallen out the back of the truck somehow and then we ran them over as we were dodging ice bombs on the way out. Some honorable hikers must have found them and put them where we could find them. PHEW!  No $600 charge from Enterprise and a full day wait at the lodge to receive replacement keys.

Today was again full of lake cutties for 3 hours. Same old, same old, but boy was it fun. I had a zero weight today.  An 8" cuttie felt huge on this rod. All kinds of fun.

After filling up a stringer full of fish (yeah, right!) we headed down the valley to fish the Yaak river and some beaver ponds the guide knew about. The first stop was at the beaver ponds. 50 feet from the road but full of treachery. Every step was either in muck, mud, a hole, or flooded grass. I wish I could say I stayed, but I gave up after about 15 casts. I was sinking and the casting was better left to the pros. I caught one little rainbow and Steven caught a cuttie and a brookie. We busted out and headed down to the Yaak river for some good old fashioned wade fishing. The forks of the Yaak start in Canada and flow down their own valley before merging with the Kootenai. The Yaak is a gorgeous little stream. It reminded Steven and I a lot of Spillway Creek before the floods. Riffle, run, pool, repeat.  Slippery as all heck.  Some bluffs just like the ones above Evening Hole.  Crystal clear green tinted water.  A joy to fish.  I had a great time catching a few species of fish.  Attractor dries and caddis droppers did the trick here.  I landed rainbows, native redbands, a cuttie, and a nice Brookie to round out the evening.  The Brookie was simply gorgeous.  The out-of-the-water pics don't do him justice.  Blood red tail, orange and white pectoral fins, a deep black mouth, and Picasso like vermiculations on his deep green back.  I wish I had thought to get some pics of him in the water.  I love Brookies, especially 12" ones!

We hiked 2 miles back to the car and began our drive home.  I took some video at the lake, I wish I could post on here.  The lake is so clear and the cutties' colors are so vivid it looks like a painting.  I will enjoy looking at that for a long time.

The evening ritual of dinner, a cigar, and some Fireball Cinnamon whisky was repeated. 

Pics from Day 5:   More cutties, blood red belly on a Westslope, yes this is truly underwater, a native redband trout, my favorite fish of the trip the Yaak Brookie

               

[golferjeff]

Day 6 July 20th - Our last day .  Since I had spent two days up the Yaak valley and at the lake, I wanted to take my shot at some big fish.  I chose to float the Kootenai and toss some different bugs.  I ended up a little disappointed.  Nothing on the streamers.  nothing on the big dries.   No rising fish at all.  Bluebird skies, 85 degrees, high pressure system moved in.  No Bull trout for me.  No fish over 17" for me.  Turns out I just missed a nice cloud break up by the dam.  I used my luck on finding the car keys, and the fish gods were not with me.

I ended up tossing a nymph rig to catch fish.  30 fish total, but over half were whitefish.  Two other members of our group caught 20"+ fish up by the dam.  OK, I am tired (It is 2:24 A.M.) and I want to go to bed. 

Here are the pics from day 6:  Wild turkeys in the backyard, Giles' big rainbow, a baby bird attacked by a Merlin, a pano of Steven and I from day 5.  If more pics come in later, I will post.

A special shout out to my wife - this trip was a birthday present from her.  Next up is a weekend in Northern New Mexico followed by 10 days in Southern Colorado.

Enjoy!

                      

[mirvc17]

Sounds like a pretty awesome trip Jeff and a quick escape from the heat. I hate the heat, but I still ran 3.5 miles this afternoon. (It's 100 here in Altus). What ticks me off is its 55F with rain in Eagle River, AK where I used to live.

Where's your trip in Northern NM gonna be? What about CO?

I'm dying to fish again...somewhere cooler...with less dust...and less suckier...