Fly Fishing the Kootenai River. Tim Linehan

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      Kootenai River (Northwest Montana)

       Location: The Kootenai River is located in the extreme northwest corner of Montana. Three major airports serve this area—Spokane, Washington, about 3 hours away; Kalispell, Montana, about 2 hours; and Missoula, Montana, about 4 hours.

      The Kootenai is Montana’s largest tailwater fishery, with over half its drainage located in British Columbia. To that end, it’s a major headwater tributary of the Columbia River and an arm of the Columbia hydropower system. The Libby Dam is located 18 miles north of Libby, Montana. The trout

      fishery begins immediately below the dam, offering approximately 40 miles of fishable water to the Idaho border. Above the Libby Dam, Lake Koocanusa Reservoir extends over 100 miles into the Canadian Rockies.

      This northwest corner of Montana is not typical Big Sky Country. Instead, it’s a place of dense coniferous forests, lush mountains, and river bottoms, and a place where the Pacific rainforest ecosystem crashes into the spine of the northern Rocky Mountains. The Kootenai Basin is unique, in that the river actually runs at only about 3,000 feet in elevation, making it one of the lowest riparian zones in the state. Weather and conditions throughout the winter are likely more mild than one might imagine.

      The Kootenai flows through the towns of Libby and Troy, Montana. Greater Libby has a population of approximately 10,000, and Troy is far smaller, with around 2,000 full-time

      residents. Logging supported this area for many years and is still responsible for a portion of the economic base, although it’s much diminished as an industry. You will be welcomed here with a smile; tourism dollars are greatly appreciated.