Libby MT ?

[cnelk]

I'm thinking about visiting Libby.

Looking for info on anything and everything, from living to all else.

Anyone?

[WapitiTalk1]

What would you like to know? I spent quite a few years there. RJ

[Indian Summer]

Good elk hunting to the west in the Bull River valley. Some big bulls.

[cnelk]

What would you like to know? I spent quite a few years there. RJ

Anything.

What makes it a nice place, to what makes it not a nice place.

Last year I met a fellow that grew up there. He is in CO working. We had dinner last night and talked a lot about Libby.
Seems almost too good to be true?

Another buddy of mine is getting a life size mtn lion done by Seussy?
And we may go get it when it's done.

AND...
It's getting really 'left wing green' in Colorado these days...

[WapitiTalk1]

Ahh, got it.. Libby, Troy, Thompson Falls (and a hodgepodge of other small towns in the general NW MT area) are pretty much where I grew up and lived from the late 60s thru late 80s. Not much industry in Libby/Troy at all any more. When the logging industry was kicking, and, Libby Dam was being built it was a pretty busy community. Bad stuff? Check out the WR Grace/Zonolite asbestos poisoning coverup on the web. Lost my wife's pop (and many others) to the crap that residents were breathing in for years. They're still cleaning the residue up, even after the Super Fund was approved to the tune of something like 350M.

On to better stuff. The Kootenai is a blue ribbon trout river; Lake Koocanusa (above Libby Dam) holds Kokanee, cuts, rainbows, and kamloop (big ones) and freshwater lingcod (tasty). You can stop at just about any stream you pass and catch eastern brookies, cuts, or bows. Lotsa whitetails, not so many muleys anymore (wolf snacks I think), a pretty decent elk population, and some pretty concentrated grizz populations. Got some bighorns in the area also. Not sure if they're still doing it, but in the 80s/90s, they'd relocate problem grizz from Glacier Park to the Cabinet Wilderness area above Libby, and, up the Yaak River drainage. Lotsa black bears in the corner of the state, just about anywhere you hunt. Thompson Lakes between Libby/Kalispell are great fishing for bass and pike. A bit closer to Kalispell is a deeper lake, McGregor I know my younger brother ice fishes for Lake Trout (mackinaw) with good success. Housing costs are pretty low in and around Libby/Troy although there are some ranches for sale that are priced for wealthy California folk . The closer to Kalispell you get, the higher the cost of living/housing prices.. Libby has an actual, old fashioned drive in you can go to on the weekends (I think it's still open). Edit: Wife just told me the Libby drive in has been closed for at least several years..

Kalispell is about 90 miles away (gateway to Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness). Hungry Horse Reservoir is a great hunting/fishing area and of course, Glacier Park is beautifull. Kalispell, Whitefish, and Columbia Falls all seem to touch nowadays making it a pretty big town. Oh, Flathead lake is close by Kalispell also (Lake Trout.. big uns) and I think, Flathead Lake is the biggest freshwater lake west of the M River (don't quote me on that though)... Snappy's Sports Center in Kalispell is the bomb. Libby has a small, steep, ski area but the big stuff is Big Mountain outside of Whitefish.

I really love the area but again, not so much work there outside of the bigger towns of Kalispell and Missoula.

Edit:... Unless things have changed, there is some world class gopher hunting up the Fisher River

[GetemDuck]

I love MT, just not sure I could adjust to hunting in places where I might be on the menu.......lol

beautiful country in that north west corner though, if the right job came along I would go.

[planebow]

If you are retired it would be a great place to live. Not a lot of shopping but kaispell and spokane are not that far away. Great fishing as stated. They also have a great archery club that puts on a couple 3d shoots each year that we attend.

[dotman]

Some great amazing country, the Aryan Nations used to be big up there, not sure if they still are.

[WapitiTalk1]

Some great amazing country, the Aryan Nations used to be big up there, not sure if they still are.

Across the border, to the west, and a bit south in Idaho is where those folks used to hang their hat.

Two movies were filmed around Libby: The River Wild w/M. Streep/K. Bacon and Always w/J. Goodman, H. Hunter, and R. Dryfuss (sp). Both movies have some pretty cool footage of that part of MT.

[dotman]

Some great amazing country, the Aryan Nations used to be big up there, not sure if they still are.

Across the border, to the west, and a bit south in Idaho is where those folks used to hang their hat.

Two movies were filmed around Libby: The River Wild w/M. Streep/K. Bacon and Always w/J. Goodman, H. Hunter, and R. Dryfuss (sp). Both movies have some pretty cool footage of that part of MT.

Are they nolonger in the area? Been forever since I've been in that part of the country.

[WapitiTalk1]

Are they nolonger in the area? Been forever since I've been in that part of the country.

Not sure but they used to be located N or CDA, ID.

cnelk, if decide to visit Libby this year and are interested in some specific fishing spots to target, let me know and I can PM you some coordinates. There are lots of scenic 1/2 to full day "loop" drives to see the country also.

[planebow]

There are lots of scenic 1/2 to full day "loop" drives to see the country also

Sounds like a Yaak attack

[WapitiTalk1]

There are lots of scenic 1/2 to full day "loop" drives to see the country also

Sounds like a Yaak attack

Bingo!! Or a drive towards Kalispell, across Silver Butte/Vermillion, and around and back thru Bull River and back to Libby.. You do know the area planebow. I think the Dirty Shame may still be in operation up the Yaak ... Did the Yaak attack back in the day many, many times.