Waters · United States
Kootenai River (Libby Dam) fishing report
Updated Friday, 9 October 2026 · refreshed automatically through the day
A huge, cold tailwater below Libby Dam where trout hold in water most anglers walk straight past. Release swings are large and fast — check the flow before you wade.
Today's report: excellent (84/100)
Brown Trout is the most promising species on Kootenai River (Libby Dam) today. Water temperature is around 17.3°C and barometric pressure is stable. Gauge Kootenai River bl Libby Dam nr Libby MT shows the water level falling (0 cm/24h).
Kootenai River (Libby Dam) water temperature and flow
- Discharge: 120.1 m³/s (4,241 cfs) — down 1% over 24 hours
- Level trend: falling (0 cm/24h)
Measured at gauge Kootenai River bl Libby Dam nr Libby MT · reading 76 min ago. Published by the national hydrological service, not estimated by us.
Best time to fish today
- 18:00–20:00 local time — score 90/100
- 01:00–03:00 local time — score 90/100
- 13:00–15:00 local time — score 84/100
3-day outlook by species
| Species | Friday 9 Oct | Saturday 10 Oct | Sunday 11 Oct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow Trout | 75 — good | 84 — excellent | 77 — good |
| Brown Trout | 84 — excellent | 91 — excellent | 84 — excellent |
Why this score
Cast & Scan uses a deterministic, published scoring model — no black box. The strongest influences on today's Kootenai River (Libby Dam) rating:
- water temperature: helping (+1)
- pressure trend: helping (+1)
- season: helping (+1)
- wind: helping (+0.9)
- precipitation: helping (+0.9)
- solunar period: helping (+0.85)
Forecast computed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 20:15:35 GMT · data: Open-Meteo + gauge Kootenai River bl Libby Dam nr Libby MT · refreshed automatically through the day · see our published accuracy
Wondering how this stacks up against the apps you already know? Cast & Scan vs Fishbrain vs BassForecast — an honest comparison, including where they beat us.
Read before you go
- Trout stream tactics, read through the forecast
- How river flow trend changes the bite
- Barometric pressure and fishing, explained
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Nearby waters
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- Big Hole River (Melrose) — Montana, USA (376 km away)