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Kootenai River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The 54 miles of the Kootenai below Libby Dam, where FWP manages wild rainbow trout under a 28-inch minimum at the dam and bull trout must go back.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
4,530 cfs
Air / High
49 / 57 F
Wind
NNW 4 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 12301933, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Kootenai River is in its winter mode: slow, deep and deliberate. The river is running 4,530 cfs, on the rise. Today brings cloud cover, wind NNW around 4 mph, steady pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 57. Water sits around 47 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:19 AM-12:19 PM and 10:50 PM-12:50 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown troutExcellent

Below 50Β°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

Tomorrow: Similar at 56 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Montana requires a fishing licence from age 12, from $31.00 for residents. What a Montana licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing rainbow trout here? Check the size and bag limits with FWP before you keep anything. The season dates for Montana, read off the agency, are on the Montana seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Kootenai River below Libby Dam.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 12301933.

4,6065,2855,9644,530 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 55 years of October 23

At 4,530 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 12301933 (Kootenai River below Libby Dam) is at the 39th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 55 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 4,830 cfs; the highest was 30,500 cfs and the lowest 3,950 cfs.

p10 3,980median 4,830p90 21,100

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 12301933; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp49 F
High / Low57 / 40 F
WindNNW 4-17 mph
Pressure1013.0 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 51%
Sunrise / Sunset08:13 / 18:36
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~47 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Kootenai River this week

The best day on Kootenai River this week looks like Wednesday Oct 28, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Wednesday, Oct 28 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
10:19 AM-12:19 PM and 10:50 PM-12:50 AM
Minor period
4:45 AM-5:45 AM
Sun
08:13 to 18:36
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Showers, 6 mph
Rain chance
51%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Kootenai River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Below 50Β°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

When to come: the Kootenai River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 47 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~47 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Kootenai River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 67 F, wind to 7 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 66 F, wind to 7 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 65 F, wind to 5 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Montana requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

FWP 2026 rules (read 2026-10-05). Libby Dam to the Highway 37 bridge near the Fisher River: open June 1 through Feb. 28; rainbow trout 1 daily and in possession, 28-inch minimum; single-point hooks only. Highway 37 bridge to the Idaho border: open all year; rainbow trout 4 daily, including 3 under 13 inches and only 1 over 18 inches. Bull trout: closed, release at once. Brown trout caught between Libby Dam and Kootenai Falls must be killed, kept and presented to FWP. Kokanee snagging Sept. 15 through Nov. 30 from Kootenai Falls to 0.8 mile below the Swinging Bridge.

Access

FWP's regulations use the Highway 37 bridge near the Fisher River confluence, about 3.5 miles below the dam, as the boundary between the two rainbow trout sections. Check FWP fishing access site listings and the Kootenai National Forest for current access points.

About this water

The 54-mile Montana reach of the Kootenai River below Libby Dam, Lincoln County, ending at the Idaho border near Leonia.

Fishing Kootenai River: the full guide

A regulated river below Libby Dam

The Kootenai rises in British Columbia, crosses the northwest corner of Montana entirely within Lincoln County, and leaves through Idaho back into Canada. Libby Dam, completed in 1972, created Lake Koocanusa and left 54 miles of river below it in Montana. FWP says dam operations cut spring runoff flows by about half, raised winter flows and warmed winter water by about 7 degrees F, so the river stays virtually ice-free.

Wild rainbows and bull trout

FWP manages the river and its tributaries as wild trout fisheries. Its drainage plan says tailwater rainbows commonly exceed 25 inches, that anglers catch fish over 30 inches and 15 pounds every year, and that the Montana state-record rainbow, 33 pounds, came from below the dam in 1997. A dense population of large adult bull trout lives in the tailwater too; both feed on kokanee that pass through the dam from Koocanusa. White sturgeon below Kootenai Falls are listed as endangered, and their harvest has been closed in Montana since 1979.

Kootenai Falls and the river below

About 28 miles below the dam the river drops 30 feet over the main Kootenai Falls and another 60 feet through smaller falls in under a mile, then runs through a canyon with pools as deep as 100 feet before slower, deeper runs to the Idaho line. Flows below the dam follow Libby Dam operations, and the USGS gauge 'Kootenai River below Libby Dam near Libby' reports them in real time.

Common questions

Can I keep a rainbow trout below Libby Dam?

From the dam to the Highway 37 bridge near the Fisher River, FWP allows one rainbow a day of at least 28 inches, and that section is closed March 1 through May 31. Downstream the limit is 4, with only one over 18 inches.

Why must brown trout be killed?

FWP's 2026 rules require anglers to kill and keep every brown trout caught between Libby Dam and Kootenai Falls and present it to FWP. Brown trout caught upstream of the falls must be reported within 24 hours.

Where can I check flows?

The USGS gauge 12301933, Kootenai River below Libby Dam near Libby, reports discharge from the tailwater.

Is fishing good at Kootenai River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Noxon Rapids Reservoir41 miFlathead River52 miLake Pend Oreille55 miFlathead Lake66 miPriest Lake72 miSaint Joe River89 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 12301933 β€” Kootenai River below Libby Dam
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 17:00 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 48.4200, -115.3200 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 5, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 5, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.