Past this ramp, the Kootenai turns into a very deep and slow meandering river with very little fishy structure for a trout to cling to. The float from Twin Rivers to Search and Rescue is a little under nine river miles.
The Kootenai is a tailwater fishery and is a great option for later in the summer when other rivers become warm and low. Fishing will start to get good on the Kootenai when flows drop below 14,000 cubic feet per second. The Idaho side of the Kootenai has very little pressure and hosts some amazing late summer hopper fishing. Even though the Kootenai is a tailwater, by the time the river reaches the Idaho border, it is more like a western trout river. Hatches to look for on the river are; caddis, pmds, blue wing olives, mahoganies, yellow sallies, green drakes, brown drakes, gray drakes, western yellow mayflies.
The Idaho Kootenai can be fished from a jet boat or a drift boat. It has a very easy gradient that makes it easy to read and to fish. The fish on the Kootenai are generally smaller than other western trout rivers. However, the cold clean water makes them fight harder than most other rainbows around. Even though the average size is smaller, there are some giant fish in the Kootenai. If you decide to target larger fish, focusing on streamer fishing near the mouths of tributaries can produce results. Fish from 5 to 8-pounds are not uncommon. Plus, seeing fish over 15 pounds is a regular occurrence if you know where to look. There are also a lot of large bull trout in the Kootenai. They too hang near the mouths of tributaries, especially as the kokanee make their way out of Kootenai lake in the fall.
Floating the Kootenai should be on the bucket list of anglers passing through the area, or for anglers that live nearby. Afternoon hopper fishing and the evening caddis hatches are prolific. Anglers will have a hard time deciding on what fish to cast to. Do yourself a favor and visit this lesser-known piece of water on the Idaho / Montana border.
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