• NF CDA - North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

  • Hatches

    Caddis
    Ants / Beetles
    Hoppers

  • The Fishing

    Repeat again this week, sorry we sound like a broken record... it's just that time of the year! A little less smoke lately and slightly cooler temperatures will help, just need a bunch of rain! Things won't change much until fall really.

    The North Fork Coeur d'Alene River is low as it usually is this time of the year. I would also add that it's best not to fish when water temps are above 68 degrees which will be the case right now in the heat during the afternoons and evenings. Mornings will be the only time to fish. Idaho does not "hoot-owl" their rivers like Montana so it's up to you to show the trout some respect and let them be when water temps are not safe. Plus the inner tube hatch will be out late morning and on. Find water with some depth and you will find fish. It's going to be a terrestrial game (hoppers, ants, beetles), caddis, and attractors. Large flies will likely not do well. Smaller is better this time of the year for success. So are longer / finer tippet and leader. The upper stretches will be super skinny. Middle and lower stretches of the drainage are going to have more water volume, but hey it's a free country so feel free to explore where you want!

  • Current Flow

    Prichard = 74.4 ft3/sec

    Cataldo = 323 ft3/sec

    Flow Graph at Prichard
    Flow Graph at Cataldo

  • St. Joe River, Idaho

  • Hatches

    Caddis
    Ants / Beetles
    Hoppers

  • The Fishing

    More folks have been on the St. Joe River as of late with low water conditions on the NF CDA and the fires in the Black Canyon of the NF Clearwater (see Miscellaneous reports for those updates). The St. Joe has been slow-decent which is typical for the dog-days of summer fishing in the middle of August. Is it worth going? Absolutely, it's still a good option. Just adjust your expectations during the heat of the summer... mornings are best, smaller flies work better, terrestrials and attractors, look for riffles and deeper boulder gardens, find off-the-beaten-path water for better results, longer / finer leader and tippet. Bigger fish are harder to come by in the summer, it's typically smaller to medium fish. Check water temps, anything over 68 degrees is too hot for safe trout fishing conditions, give 'em a break at that point. Mornings will be best for coolest water.

  • Current Flow

    Red Ives = 104 ft3/sec

    Calder = 439 ft3/sec

    Flow Graph at Red Ives
    Flow Graph at Calder

  • Spokane River, Washington

  • Hatches

    Caddis
    Pseudo-baetis

  • The Fishing

    8/12 FIRE UPDATE - The fires on the north side of Spokane are under control now and more access along the lower Spokane River is limited down to TJ Meenach area.

    Guide trips have been doing decent on the Spokane River. We would rate the fishing as usual August summer fishing. That means smaller fish, a few more whitefish, smoke (although a little less as of late), and hot afternoons. Chubby and droppers continue to be a go-to and will all summer. Hoppers will work as well and there has been some caddis and ant dry fly fishing too. Sean W. reported getting some fish to eat ant patterns lately. Kenyon reported pseudo-baetis dry fly fishing today... but bring your A-game if you plan on fishing tiny bwo's!

    The upper Spokane River is pretty skinny... so skinny it's dry in sections! Areas above Sullivan out towards Barker Bridge, Flora, etc are dry... zero flow. The trout don't hang out in that stretch during the summer anyways, just the smallmouth bass. Below Sullivan the aquifer comes back in to the river and down below town are where you can focus your efforts.

  • Current Flow

    748 ft3/sec

    Flow Graph at Spokane River - Post Falls
    Flow Graph at Spokane River - Below Falls

  • Miscellaneous

  • The Fishing

    NF Clearwater / Kelly Creek - The Black Canyon section of the NF Clearwater is closed due to the Moose-Mountain Fire. You can access the upper NF CW over Hoodoo Pass and access Deception Saddle Rd (255) down to Kelly Creek. "The 250 road remains closed north of Kelly Forks to the intersection of 255 due to increasing fire behavior and ongoing suppression efforts. - Watch Duty App"

    The NF Clearwater below Kelly Forks CG is also open and a good fishing option.

    Warmwater species: Carp and bass fishing is a great alternative on these hot days. Frankly, these guys don’t care how warm the water gets and you don’t have to worry about over-stressing them. Fish activity will definitely be best in the low-light hours, but you can get after it all day and have reasonable success.

    Kootenai River - a great option with cold water all summer long. Generally this time of the year on the Kootenai we will fish chernobyls, hoppers, caddis, and pmd's.

    Clark Fork River (and most of Montana) - most rivers in Montana have "Hoot-owl" restrictions on them right now which means that from 2pm - Midnight there is no fishing due to warm water temps. That is normal most years and does not mean you can't fish, you just need to fish in the morning and hang it up by 2pm. Fishing after 2pm most summers is generally not very productive in August even when hoot-owl restrictions are not present for most rivers. Terrestrials, chernobyls, caddis, droppers under your chernobyls or hoppers for sure, purple haze.

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