Currrent Conditions in Libby
February 15, 2005
If the weatherman is right, we’ll get another chance of snow this next weekend to hopefully bring back a bit more winter. Turner Mountain’s ski season ended as fast as it began due to lack of snow and they are closed until further notice, hoping for more snow. According to local SnoTel monitoring stations by the National Resources Conservation Service, the snow depth in the surrounding mountains is less than two feet and the basin-wide precipitation outlook for the Kootenai River Basin is 84% of average. There still is some marginal cross-country skiing and snowboarding if you go up high, but the snow isn’t the best.
The good news is that Lake Koocanusa is free of ice and the fishing is great! The boat ramps at the dam and at Koocanusa Marina are both clear and the water accessible to boaters. Reports as of today from the folks at Koocanusa Marina, www.koocanusaresort.com, are that the fishing in the big lake is great for trout! People are catching good sized rainbows and bull trout. Highway 37 along the reservoir is clear (condition will vary depending on what the weather does on any given day), and folks aren’t having any trouble driving down to access the boat ramps.
Koocanusa Marina has cabins for rent every day over the winter. The restaurant is open for limited winter hours on the weekends, Thursday through Sunday, and closed Monday through Wednesday. Owner Randy told us, "We’ve had tons of people coming in with 6-10 pound bull trout out of the lake." He also commented that Lake Koocanusa is a great place to bring the kids to get them excited about fishing. "There aren’t a lot of lakes anymore where you can guarantee a kid that they will catch a big fish. You can bring a kid up here fishing for the weekend and practically guarantee they’ll catch a 4-10 pounder with no hassle." Call Koocanusa Marina for current conditions before you come up to get a current lake, boat ramp and road report, 406-293-7474 (Thursday-Sunday).
Kootenai National Forest Spring Breakup Road Restrictions
As of Monday, February 14, these are the posted Spring breakup road restrictions on the Kootenai National Forest. Permits are required for vehicles over 10,000 lbs. on posted national forest roads. More current condition information for the KNF is available on their excellent website at www.fs.fed.us/r1/kootenai/.
D1/D3 EUREKA FORTINE
• Wolf Fortine Rd. 36 posted to 10,000 lbs...
• Yaak 92 posted to 10,000 lbs.
D5 LIBBY
• County has posted McGinnis Meadows
D4/D7 TROY / TROUT CREEK
• All county roads are posted in the Troy area.
• Pipe Cr. So. Fk. Yaak Rd. 68 posted to 10,000 lbs.
• County and Forest Service allowing some haul till 11:00 A.M.
• Check with Sanders county for road restrictions in the Trout Cr. area.
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