Sandpoint/Ponderay Fishing Report 12.21.17

Clark Fork River (ID)

Flows are between 6,000 and 28,000 cubic feet per second. Water clarity is excellent, and temperatures are pretty damn cold. Either wait for a sunny day, or bundle up. Fishing has been slow, so if you decide to sleep in, you aren’t missing much. Slowly swinging a #6 Montana Mini Intruder or a #6 olive Stinging Smolt might wake them up. Try nymphing a #14 BH Rubberleg Prince and a #20 silver Tufted Zebra Midge.

Kootenai River (MT)

Flows are  17,300 cfs coming out of Libby Dam. Fishing can be good on sunny afternoons running a double nymph rig, or casting to noses with midges. For a dry, I would use a #20 Hatching Midge, with a #22 red Disco Midge as a dropper. A great fly to swing is a #4 silver Sparkle Minnow. The big boys still gotta eat, even when air temperatures are below freezing.