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

Hatches

BWO's
Winter Stones (capnia / nemouras)
Skwalas
March Browns

The Fishing

Looking like a prime window of opportunity over the next few days. Flows have been on a steady decline this week and we’ve heard some good reports from folks venturing out here lately. Per usual this time of year, keep an eye on river levels as they can change overnight. I’d have the full gambit of Spring dry fly patterns with me, including March Browns, Skwalas, Nemouras, BWOs and Midges. While these aren’t prime time flows for wade fishing quite yet, there’s plenty of fishable water at these levels and even more so if you’re floating the river. We’ve been saying it for the last couple months, but get after it sooner than later this year! Flows and conditions are well ahead of schedule already.

If you like trusting forecasts, here’s a link to the Northwest River Forecast Center for river flow projections. Like the weather, these change often and aren’t always accurate, but are a helpful tool for planning out your fishing days.

NF CDA at Prichard (Copy and past this link): https://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/river/station/flowplot/flowplot.cgi?PRCI1

We have rafts and single person boats in-stock! Rio Craft Madison, Rio Craft Teton, Outcast PAC 1300, Outcast Stealth Pro, and Outcast Clearwater. Spring is boat season!

Current Flow

Prichard = 1220 ft³/sec
Prediction Flow - Prichard

Cataldo = 3900 ft³/sec
Prediction Flow - Cataldo

St. Joe River, Idaho

Hatches

BWO's
Winter Stones (capnia / nemouras)
Skwalas
March Browns

The Fishing

Like the CDA, looking favorable up here this weekend. We’ve heard more quality reports since Mike was up here last Saturday and fishing has stayed consistent. Dry fly fishing continues to ramp up this time of year, so bring those springtime dries along. The best access and fishing is still below Avery, lots of downed trees and debris in the road the further up you go. I’ve always felt the St Joe is a more predictable river in the spring, since it’s a larger drainage than the CDA system and is more tolerant to fluctuating flows.

If you like trusting forecasts, here’s a link to the Northwest River Forecast Center for river flow projections. Like the weather, these change often and aren’t always accurate, but are a helpful tool for planning out your fishing days.

St Joe at Calder (Copy and past this link): https://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/river/station/flowplot/flowplot.cgi?CLDI1

We have rafts and single person boats in-stock! Rio Craft Madison, Rio Craft Teton, Outcast PAC 1300, Outcast Stealth Pro, and Outcast Clearwater. Spring is boat season!

Current Flow

Red Ives = 461 ft³/sec
Prediction Flow - Red Ives

Calder = 4200 ft³/sec
Prediction Flow - Calder

Miscellaneous

The Fishing

If you don’t feel like messing about on the rivers this weekend, the lakes are still a great option. Jesse and I (Kenyon) fished Waitts lake earlier this week and did very well catching brown trout on a variety of tactics, mostly fishing leeches under an indicator but we did catch some nice fish throwing large streamer patterns around the drop offs. Amber and Coffeepot have been the favorites still this Spring, both for quality and quantity. I’d plan on starting to shift your tactics as water temps continue to warm up, targeting chironomid hatches especially. I’d also start bringing along damsels, water boatmen, maybe even some callibaetis. You really never know when these hatches will fire off and its always good to be prepared.

Spokane River, Washington

Hatches

n/a

The Fishing

The Spokane River from the WA/ID state line down to Nine Mile Falls Dam is now closed until the Saturday before Memorial Day. This closure is to help protect spawning Redband rainbows.

Current Flow

16300 ft³/sec
Prediction Flow - Lower River / Post Falls

Steelhead Rivers

The Fishing

Reports for steelheading on the Grande Ronde, Snake and Clearwater are wrapped up for the season. Time to let them spawn. We will begin reports for steelies late summer as they trickle back into the Columbia system. We will periodically have some smallmouth reports from this region when we get them.

Current Flows

Grande Ronde River at Troy - 4150 ft³/sec
Prediction Flow - Troy

Snake River at Anatone - 40200 ft³/sec
Prediction Flow - Anatone

Clearwater River at Spalding - 36000 ft³/sec
Prediction Flow - Spalding