Fishing the Mid Atlantic region and beyond for all manner of salt and fresh water species. We cover the lower Chesapeake Bay aboard the "Mikey D Fishing" in search of stripers, redfish, speckled trout, flounder, cobia and chase trout across the classic freestone and limestone streams of Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia.
By late-July, most of the mayfly hatches on Montana's rivers and "cricks" have ended. But the advent of hotter and dryer weather brings the trout another important food source; terrestrials such as grasshoppers, beetles, and ants. Blown off of grasses and and trees into the streams, these bugs, quite a bit larger than their ephemera mayfly cousins, provide hearty meals before the onset of fall and colder winter.
The Mikey D team took up a most gracious invitation by former Navy football tailgaters, Annapolis neighbors, and good friends Mike and Mary Kay Shina, to visit their spread out in Libby, a relatively small city in the northwest corner of the state.
The major watershed is the Kootenai (pronounced KOO-TEN-EE) River, which begins in Canada. The river is dammed just above Libby, then flows for over 50 miles into Idaho. The beauty of this river is that, as a tailwater, it stays clear year round. Second, the water coming out of the dam keeps the river cool enough to ensure good fishing, even in the late-summer.
While we were on different flights, Capt. DiPaola and I avoided the issues many of the flying public have experienced this summer, and landed in Glacier Park International Airport in Kalispell around 2:00 PM on Monday. Capt. DiPaola having secured the rental car, it was off for the 90 mile drive to Libby.
We stopped short and met up with Mike at Happy's Inn, a western Montana landmark, and about 30 miles from Libby. A lot of like the Friendly Inn in Roulette. After a couple of local beers and a "spider bite" (a shot of Tarantula tequila and Rose's Lime juice), courtesy of the barkeep, we headed off to the Shina abode.
Mike and Mary Kay's gorgeous home is on 5 acres of wooded property, sitting at the base of Swede Mountain.
A short ATV ride up the mountain, and another 2000' or so of elevation, and you're at the fire station on top of the mountain.
We booked guides for a Wednesday drift on the Kootenai, bookmarked with DIY trips to local waters. On Tuesday morning we stopped at Libby Sporting Goods to check out the fly assortment and pump the locals for intel. Fly selection was not difficult; hoppers and "chubbies" in black, yellow, and purple, Chernobyl ants. etc. Guy behind the counter sounded a bit cryptic, but said the best small stream fishing would be on Fisher River, a tributary to the Kootenai a few miles up from Libby.
So off we went. This was Mike and Mary Kay's first time flyfishing. So it's really important to have easy access to the water, lots of room for casting, and accommodating fish. The Fisher turned out to have all of those, with spectacular views to boot!
Gear that worked on our PA streams worked well in here. 4-5 WT rods, floating lines, 4X tippet. Fished hoppers, hopper/droppers (size 16 beadhead pheasant tails and prince nymphs worked), and tan Elk Hair Caddis. Air temps were in the 90s, extremely low humidity, crystal clear water with temps in the low-60s. Bottom conditions were a bit slick (Montana permits the use of felt. I strongly recommend), but even with rubber soles/studs and a wading staff, it wasn't too difficult to get around.
As I said, a great place to introduce newbies to fly fishing. And it didn't take long for both Mike and Mary Kay to develop decent casting skills, and by the end of the first DIY day both had landed trout.
The trout in the Fisher, at least what we caught, were all wild Rainbows. Most went 4-5 inches, a few went 6-8, we caught a couple that went 10 or so, and Joe caught one that easily went 12 inches. Absolutely gorgeous fish, which proved more than willing to hit our hoppers and/or droppers consistently throughout the day.
Even had the chance to use the Tenkara, which was perfect for this stream.
The highlight of our fishing experience, though, was a float trip on the Kootenai. It's big water, with a fast current to boot. There may be spots where you can safely wade, but we didn't see many. And there's so much water that it would be impossible to locate fish on a single outing. It's best to go with local expertise. So we book guides through Kootenai River Outfitters (http://www.kroutfitters.com/). Owner Jeanie Winstrom was waiting for us at the main office when we arrived shortly before 8 AM on Wednesday. Also waiting to load our gear were our guides, Tony Knapp (knapptimeflyfishing@gmail.com) and Johnny Pares (https://kcanglers.com/kootenai-river-fishing-guides-rita-adams-johnny-pares/).
What makes for a great guide? Well, knowing the river and putting clients on fish is a big plus. Knowledge of the history of the place helps pass the time when the fishing slows. Patience and the ability to teach is huge, especially when you have first-time or novice folks in the boat. Finally, and perhaps most importantly (except maybe for catching fish), is temperament. You never know whether your clients are going to be easy going, or flat out neurotics. Doesn't matter. When your stuck in a drift boat for 8 hours, you adapt to the clients, and make it the best day you can.
Tony and Johnny exceeded all of those qualities. Tony was the consummate instructor with Mike and MK in his boat, while Johnny was more than able to match our usual sarcastic fishing banter. Despite breezy conditions and a passing cold front (temps only got into the upper 80s), which seemed to diminish the bite from pervious outings, we had a fantastic time. Everyone caught fish, Rainbows, Cutthroats, and "Cutbows" (a cross between a Rainbow and a Cutthroat). Most of the fish went between 8-12 inches. But we did manage a few that went over 12, and a couple that would have measured between 16-18. As on our outings on the Fisher, flies of choice were a variety of hopper patterns. And, as this is big water, our guides knew exactly where to position the boats to put us on fish; banks with drop offs, seams, riffles at the bottom of runs, and underwater structure.
It was a memorable float. And a great four days of fishing, enjoying Libby's restaurants, "sipping" brown liquor and burning Perdomos on the back porch, and enjoying Mike and Mary Kay's gracious hospitality. Many thanks to Libby Sporting Goods, Kootenai River Outfitters, Tony and Johnny, and most of all, to Mike and Mary Kay!!!
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