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Floating and fishing the Kootenai River |
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September 20, 2016 |
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By Roger Phillips
IDFG Public Information Specialist
Floating through a cool, clear river in a deep
canyon, an angler casts a grasshopper fly toward
shore and waits for a trout to fall for the
dupe. It happens with a tell-tale swirl on the
glassy surface, and as the anglers pulls back on
the rod, it bows and bounces like a willow in
the wind as a feisty trout realizes its mistake
and thrashes in protest.
 This
scene is played out on many rivers in Idaho, and
in this case, it’s the North Idaho’s Kootenai
River, a gem of a stream that’s gotten a boost
in recent years and is producing its best trout
fishing in years thanks to a partnership between
Idaho Fish and Game and the Kootenai Tribe of
Idaho.
The Kootenai River’s canyon section flows
between Montana’s Libby Dam and Bonners Ferry.
It’s secluded and scenic with a series of
riffles, pools and meanders. But until recently,
it lacked nutrients to produce many trout and
grow them larger. It harbored a population of
rainbow trout and whitefish, along with other
fish species, but they tended to be small, and
trout reaching the upper teens in length were
uncommon.
Part of the problems is Libby Dam collects those
sediments upstream, releasing cool, clear water
that’s relatively sterile where once
nutrient-rich water flowed downstream.
Idaho Fish and Game and the Kootenai Tribe of
Idaho developed a relatively simple solution to
that problem by adding common agriculture
fertilizer to the river downstream from the dam.
A series of large tanks set on a bluff
overlooking the river and a small (about three
inches) pipe releases the liquid fertilizer into
the water at the Idaho and Montana border.
The project started in 2005 with funding from
Bonneville Power Administration, and the
fertilizer sparks the growth of algae, which
feeds aquatic insects that support the river’s
trout, whitefish and other native fish
populations.
Fish and Game biologists have seen a boost in
both numbers and average size of trout in the
river since the project started. They’ve also
seen catch rates dramatically improve for
anglers.
"In general, we're very pleased with the
response," said T.J. Ross, senior research
fishery research biologist for Fish and Game.
He said it's likely a combination of the
fertilizer project and a rule change in 2002
that limited harvest to two trout for rainbows
and cutthroats none under 16 inches.
Ross added many long-time anglers in the area
say it's the best fishing they've experienced in
years on the Kootenai.
Other anglers are also catching on, too, but the
river is still lightly used compared to Idaho’s
world-famous trout streams. That’s a bonus for
those who make the trip to Bonners Ferry and
take advantage of this river that flows through
a scenic canyon.
Fish and Game and Montana Fish, Wildlife and
Parks also partnered in 2013 to get access from
a private landowner to an undeveloped access
point at the border near Leonia, Montana, which
means Idaho anglers don't have to float several
miles through Montana to reach Idaho's section
of the river.
That was a valuable addition because the
Kootenai is mostly a floater’s show, which means
it’s a great opportunity to drift along and cast
to the shoreline and entice trout with flies or
lures.
Late summer and fall tend to be prime times to
fish the river, and there are good opportunities
to catch insect hatches that get trout feeding
on the surface. But the Kootenai isn’t a
“technical” river, so when there’s no obvious
hatch, trout will still rise to grasshopper
patterns and attractors, as well as take lures
and bait.
Most of the trout are on the 10 to 14-inch
range, but fish measuring in the mid and
upper-teens are common, and occasionally fish
exceed 20 inches. That’s a big improvement from
the past when a catch rates were low and the
fish fairly small compared to other rivers in
the area.
Fish and Game is also studying the river to find
out which tributary streams provide the best
spawning and rearing habitat so they can protect
and possibly enhance those areas to provide more
natural trout production.
For now, the Kootenai has an improved fishery
that’s providing fun and excitement for anglers,
as well a scenic float through a beautiful part
of North Idaho. |
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