Kootenai River Report 1.31.17
I am sitting in the fly shop on January 29th, anxiously waiting to hit the Kootenai River tomorrow when an idea hit me. "Why don't I write a quick blog/report on what I believe will happen on the Kootenai tomorrow."
So here are my predictions.
Fishy Forecast // 1-29-17
I am expecting tomorrow to be a nymph and swing day. I will still carry BWO and Midge dries if something spectacular were to arise, but I'm not counting on it.
I am predicting the hot nymphs will be a red #14 Copper John, #18 Tufted Zebra Midge, and a #18 BWO Crust Nymph. For streamers, I have faith that Fred's trusty Olive Predacious Fox will do the trick.
Learn to tie the Predacious Fox here.
If not olive, I also have a few in a beautiful claret color, tied with marblefox instead of temple fox. If claret doesn't work, then I will swing for the fences by throw something big, articulated, and white. In the 4-5 hours of fishing, I expect to hook anywhere from 2-10 spunky trout.
Actual Fishing Report // 1-31-17
The sky was partly cloudy, and temperatures were in the mid 30s. The breeze would make an appearance every 15 minutes or so, but not strong enough to freeze my hands. The discharge out of Libby dam stayed around 4,000 cfs. Not bad conditions for a January day on the water! However, finding hungry fish was definitely a challenge. There wasn't a hatch of any kind, so dries were out of the equation. The mouth of Moyie Springs was the only spot where I found a decent concentration of fish. Nymphing didn't produce a single grab. Swinging on the other hand seemed to stir up the few willing trout. Fred's olive Predacious Fox was the ticket for these acrobatic bows. 
If you are thinking of fishing the Kootenai in the near future, I definitely recommend hitting the mouth of the Moyie. On a nice warm day, you will still have the mouth to yourself.There are three easily fishable seams that are guaranteed to hold fish. Just don't forget your streamers!
And don't forget to check out the new Fly Shop Website!
Stop by the Ponderay flyshop, and I'll show you the flies I recommend, or even how to tie a Predacious Fox.