A WA list and WA reports?? Leland gives Fiji Island reports!
----- Original Message -----
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Monday, May 28, 2001 7:45 PM
Subject: St. Joe River Report
> I know this is a WA list but many of us on the East side fish the St. Joe
and
> Cour d Alene rivers so I thought a report would be valid.
>
> I was on the river by 9:00 this morning and found the water flowing clear
but
> a bit high and fast for good dry fly fishing. The water flow is about
half
> of what it should be this time of year but I would still give the river
> another week or two before I gave it serious consideration.
>
> The morning was characterized by light winds and sparse bug hatches. I
still
> managed to bring 3 cutts to hand on a size 14 caddis. A green bodied
seemed
> to work a bit better then a brown but I took fish on both. The fish were
all
> holding in the side slack waters and only the small fish in the 8-12 inch
> range were willing to rise to a dry. If you attempted to fish the current
> seam, your fly was quickly swept down river or developed drag almost
> immediately. No fish seemed to be holding in this area, or more likely,
they
> were hugging the bottom dining on nymphys. It would have taken some
serious
> weight to get down to them as fast as the water was moving.
>
> We tried some water above Prospector Creek but couldn't buy a fish. I
know
> the fish migrate to and from Lake Cour d Alene but have heard some stay in
> the upper reaches year around. We sure couldn't find them today.
>
> After lunch we headed down below Avery and fished the lower river. Even
down
> in this area the water was fast and not very fishable. We finally opted
for
> a roadside area by Cataldo and got into some decent water and a lot more
> fish.
>
> Overall, not a bad first trip but with limited river fishing days till I
have
> knee surgery number 3, I was hoping to light them up today. The Caddis
was
> the best producer followed by a PMD.
>
> If anybody has information about how to fish the St. Joe better during the
> early season, I would love to hear it.
>
> Mike W.
> Spangle.
>
>
>
