Montana Tailwater
Kootenai River Fishing Report, Flows and Hatches
A big-water tailwater below Libby Dam in the far northwest corner of Montana, holding some of the largest rainbow trout in the state. Underappreciated next to the Missouri and Madison.
Tailwater
Montana
2,100 ft
Gauge 12301933
Right now
Live conditions
The hatch chart
Kootenai River hatch chart
The emergences that come off the Kootenai by month, straight from the Rivus hatch model.
| Hatch | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Midge Midge, #18-22 | ||||||||||||
Skwala Stonefly, #8-10 | ||||||||||||
Blue Winged Olive Mayfly, #16-20 | ||||||||||||
Caddisfly Caddis, #14-18 | ||||||||||||
Pale Morning Dun Mayfly, #14-18 | ||||||||||||
Golden Stonefly Stonefly, #6-8 | ||||||||||||
Pale Evening Dun Mayfly, #14-18 | ||||||||||||
Flying Ant / Carpenter Ant Ant, #10-12 | ||||||||||||
Grasshopper / Terrestrial Hopper, #8-10 | ||||||||||||
Mahogany Dun Mayfly, #14-16 | ||||||||||||
October Caddis Caddis, #6-8 |
How it fishes
A Montana tailwater
A tailwater runs out of the bottom of a dam, so the water comes out cold and steady all year. That stable temperature is why the bugs stay small and the hatches run like clockwork, and it is why the fish grow picky and well fed. The flip side is that the dam sets the flow, not the weather, so a release can change the river overnight. You read the gauge, not the sky.
Flow and gauge
Reading the flows
The Kootenai is metered at USGS gauge 12301933. Watch the trend as much as the number: a river that is dropping and clearing fishes very differently from one that is coming up.
Access and regulations
Before you fish
Access and the right to fish are the angler’s responsibility, every time. Public access, private water, and seasonal closures vary along the river, so confirm where you can legally stand and wade before you go. We do not point you to a specific spot.
Read the current rules, license requirements, and any special-regulation water before you go. Regulations change season to season, so check them fresh.
Flow and water temperature from USGS, weather from NWS and NOAA, refreshed hourly. Real-time USGS readings are provisional and subject to revision. The hatch chart and river read are Rivus model output.