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 Lake
Koocanusa, created by Libby Dam, is a very large lake,
stretching from Montana all the way back into Canada.
Due to its isolated location in far northwest Montana,
as well as the nearby proximity to Whitefish
Lake and Flathead Lake,
the lake only receives a fair amount of use for recreational
boating. Additionally, draw downs of the reservoir for
power production in late summer during low water years
can leave Lake Koocanusa very low, severely limiting
boat landing opportunities.
Lake Koocanusa
has a wide variety of fish. Rainbow trout, whitefish, kookanee
salmon, cutthroat trout and bull trout all can be found
in the lake. Some limited shore fishing is possible in
the spring and early summer, before the draw down, for
small cutthroat trout and kokanee salmon. However, due
to the lakes very large size, a small boat to more easily
cover the shoreline is the best way to fish during this
time.
Access to Lake
Koocanusa is quite good. Highway 37 parallels the lake
on the east side for most of its distance. On the west
side, a bumpy dirt road more or less parallels the lake
too. A number of boat landings, some private and some public,
are found on both sides of the lake and near Libby Dam.
Overall, Lake
Koocanusa isn't slated to be the next destination spot
for Montana fly fishing, especially since the Kootenai
River just below Libby Dam is such a fine fishery.
However, the lake lies in a scenic setting and its relatively
low use allows a person to find some solitude, making Lake
Koocanusa a fine place to spend an early summer day.
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