Memorial Day Weekend River Forecast

It's time

Oh man what a great few days it's shaping up to be this Memorial Day Weekend! The weather and water is lining up to be perfect for late May angling in the Inland Northwest.

First up, the Spokane River. Yes, while considered on the high side, adventurous anglers are going to be able to find spots to fish and probably some fish! At current levels all you need to do is focus your efforts on the banks. No need to get in the water because the fish will be in the narrow margins or windows along the shore. We have friends that have seen salmonflies near the river this week and they should continue into the first week of the opener. A large salmonfly or chubby in a salmonfly variety SHOULD get some sniffs from the trout. Without a doubt nymphing and streamer fishing will get it done. This time of the year, especially as temps heat up the caddis activity will increase. A stonefly type of nymph and caddis pupa combo will be a go-to for many weeks on the Spokane. Do use caution when venturing to the river at current flows, a little common sense goes a long ways. Floating at this level is the preference to have access to more water, but there are plenty of spots to hit on foot too.

The North Idaho favorites will be prime for the weekend. In particular the North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River is in excellent shape and NOBODY can tell me otherwise ha! It is NOT too high, it's perfect and in fact it's a bit low for this time of the year. It has been fishing well with a variety of insect hatches as always right about now... salmonflies, drakes, pmd's, golden stones, and yellow sallies all making appearances depending on the weather. It is dry fly time right now so whether it's a single dry or a dry / dropper combo it's time to make sure your fly floatant is reloaded in your pack. The St. Joe is also on the radar to be fishing well for Memorial Day Weekend. Look for the similar hatches to the NF CDA but you could even throw in maybe a skwala or March brown since the temps have stayed cool, I don't think the cutthroat will mind one bit. The Joe will have few "good" spots to fish, though there are plenty for anglers looking to do some bank scrambling. The water temps are cold so these rivers may have a slow start in the morning and probably a good idea to throw some nymphs like small rubber leg stones with a Spanish bullet or perdigon type below that. The Spanish bullets or perdigons make perfect droppers if you are throwing stonefly dries or chubbies as the day progresses.

Across the Idaho Panhandle in Montana the general stream opener was last Saturday for any of the rivers not yet open. It is your better shot at finding clear water in Big Sky country. The Clark Fork River near St. Regis will be on the higher side as this one gets a lot of water from the tributaries and is last to come into shape. It isn't too high though, we have fished it at these levels and much higher, it just isn't on the top of the list currently.

We don't get many reports on the Yakima since most folks head east from our area, but it looks and sounds like the central Washington favorite has been fishing well and should continue.

We hope you have a fantastic and fish-filled Memorial Day Weekend! Swing on in and see the crew before you head out for the latest info and bugs.