KOOTENAI RIVER FISHING REPORT
August 7th, 2026
Flows @ Leonia 9,640 CFS
Temp – 56
Flies
https://houseoffly.com/patrick-kilbys-emmas-stone
https://houseoffly.com/kelly-galloups-tilt-wing-drake
https://houseoffly.com/rios-chubby-chernobyl
https://houseoffly.com/andrew-grillos-dancin-ricky
https://houseoffly.com/carlson-s-purple-haze-12-pack
https://houseoffly.com/morrish-hopper
https://houseoffly.com/mike-lawsons-ez-caddis
I wish I had more exciting new updates for the Kootenai, but it just keeps on producing some great fishing opportunities for late summer just like it has been all summer long. Temps actually went down a few degrees this week out of the dam so those rainbows should be nice and happy about that -- a crispy 56 degrees in August isn’t too bad. Big foam flies are still working good, like Henneberry Hoppers, Chubbies, Plan B's, or any other big, foam attractor with a nymph below about 2’-3’ down. Not much going on hatch-wise during the day, but the caddis have been coming off every evening. That’s about the gist of it. Grasshoppers are all over the place, what more could you ask for! These cool 40-degree nights have been helping out a ton, keeping water temps icy cold.
Lake Pend Oreille
Temp – 72-75
Flies
https://houseoffly.com/jawbreaker
https://houseoffly.com/unsupervised-minor
https://houseoffly.com/umpqua-tungsten-thin-mint-green-olive-black
https://houseoffly.com/fly-project-flash-n-grab
https://houseoffly.com/montana-fly-co-adult-damsel-blue
https://houseoffly.com/umpqua-crystal-damsel-dragon-fly-lure-blue
This time of year can get tricky out there for bass on the fly. They just don’t seem to be very bitey during the day, and the ones you do find are typically pretty small. One thing I like to do is size down the gear to like a 4wt or 5wt and size down the flies as well. I try buggers and leech patterns or smaller dry flies for the surface and flashy but small minnow patterns. The big fish go out deep chasing greener pastures leaving behind the smaller fish in the shallows. These cooler nights are definitely helping; things should get better as we get closer to fall. Pike will become an option again here real soon as things cool off again; they will come up shallow and be more aggressive.
Small lakes
Temps – 75-80
Flies
https://houseoffly.com/umpqua-crystal-damsel-dragon-fly-lure-blue
https://houseoffly.com/umpqua-wulff-royal-fly-14
https://houseoffly.com/montana-fly-co-adult-damsel-blue
https://houseoffly.com/triple-double-amber
https://houseoffly.com/umpqua-tungsten-thin-mint-green-olive-black
https://houseoffly.com/balanced-blood-leech-squirrel-fly
https://houseoffly.com/fulling-mill-zonker-skullhead-6-natural
https://houseoffly.com/ribbit-rhol-asb
https://houseoffly.com/umpqua-saltwater-popper-chartreuse-2-0
The smaller lakes are still fishing decent; we see a lull in the action this time of year for a few reasons. Water temps have been high all summer, and the fishing pressure is at its peak for these small bodies of water. These fish that do get released back into the water have seen a lot of action. The other reason is that these lakes get locked in with weeds and these fish have lots of hiding spots away from anglers. I usually stick to topwater patterns this time of year to avoid cleaning gunk off of my fly every cast. Once things cool off more and we get closer to fall, the trout will start to hang around shallow again. But that is still a long time from now. The panfish in these lakes don’t seem to care about much of anything, so they are still a viable option and are a hoot on a light 3wt or even smaller rod.