This is a big river that provides excellent opportunities to catch large rainbows on flies, spinning tackle or bait. There is something here for everyone with good access making it easy to get almost anywhere you want to be. The river provides excellent drift fishing opportunities with enough boat ramps up and down the river to make for trips ranging from three hours to all day. The river is easy to float at almost all flows. Boat fishermen need to be aware there is no takeout past Quartz Creek and the impassable Kootenai Falls lies not too far downstream. As with any new river it's good to scout it out before you fish. The best flies include any deer or elk hair caddis pattern size #16-10, Olive Wulffs in size #10, Royal Wulffs in sizes #14-10, Irresistables in sizes #18-10, Adam's in sizes #18-12, Blue Quills in sizes #18-14, bead head Prince in sizes #16-10, Gold-ribbed Hare's Ear in sizes #16-10, Copper Nymphs in sizes #16-14, Lightning Bugs in sizes #16-12, and hoppers in sizes #10-2. Spinners and spoons work too. Any size 0-3 spinners with combinations of black, gold, silver, fluorescent orange, chartreuse and yellow seem to work. You don't need a lure with all those colors although it might be worth a try. Bait fishing is also effective although there are bull trout in the river and they need to be released unharmed as they are on the Endangered Species List. Species present in the Kootenai River include the rainbows and bull trout as well as mountain whitefish, kokanee, and the occasional brown trout.