If I could pick the best day to fish...

Fishing on the Kootenai in Idaho has been pretty darn good. We are seeing 16 inches and above trout and lots of healthy looking young ones who will someday grow to become a trophy. Recently, I watched a video on finding fish in rivers (because even guides need to do their homework) and I heard a comment that resounded. ‘If I could pick the best day to fish, it would be when the weather was bad.’

This week that comment became reality! We had a forecast of rain all day with thunderstorms last Tuesday. Yikes! I checked with the clients and they were willing to give it a go anyway. We would keep our eyes (and ears) sharp for the thunder, but slug through the wet stuff. Turned out the light show missed us completely, but we had one rainy, soggy day.

And the fishing was great!

Seriously, it was awesome!

We had a steady hatch of yellow mayflies and the fish were looking up! Dry flies all day and they were getting hit hard. We had a couple of double hookups. We lost big fish. We caught little fish. We netted donkeys. Before we knew it, the take-out was in sight. I remembered the comment from the video I had watched the week before and as a convert.

That said, the day was wet, but the wind was light. That made a difference for us. I would not want to row in a squall, for sure. But I will never look at a rainy day the same way again.

Here are a few tips to remember to enjoy the rain and the fish.

• Quality Rain Gear! It should close around the throat and wrists to keep the wet out. Breathable rain gear is nicer. We had a warm rain, so it would have been steamy if we had just worn plastic.

• I keep towels tucked away so you can wipe down and dry off from time to time.

• If it’s a cold day, wear surgical type gloves under your regular gloves. You can still tie knots, but with your hands dry and insulated with even wet fleece, you will be warmer.

• Keep your fly boxes closed! And after the float, leave them open in a warm room to dry out.

• One more comment about clothing, keep in mind that cotton will wick. keep your collar, sleeves, and shirttails tucked inside your rain gear, or you will still get wet!

If you would like to book your trip with us on the Kootenai River in Idaho, check our link to the schedules. We have two guides on the river now. Full and half day floats are available. Weekends are still open. September is a great time to fly fish on the Kootenai as we watch the water flow drop and the kokanee (land-locked sockeye salmon) come up to spawn. But, more on that in the next report.