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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