Coeur d'Alene Fishing Report 08.30.18
Coeur d'Alene River
The Coeur d'Alene River is fishing well since the cooler weather has come back. It's amazing to see blue skies once again! The smoke is, more or less, gone and it is time for some killer fall fishing. Our extended forecast looks great. Temperatures will be in the mid to low 70's for the next week, and the nights are supposed to be in the high 40's and low 50's. This is primo weather for fishing guys and gals.
The micro ants are out and about so, these will be a key player for a while. We are still getting a decent amount of pmds and spruce moths. Blue-winged olives should start showing up too. The mahoganies are right around the corner and the October caddis too. The evening caddis hatches are still good as well. So, using a smaller 16-18 x-caddis or elk hair caddis, with a small flying ant dropper or soft hackle, will do the trick. You will still find an occasional fish to eat streamers too. You can nymph as well but keep your bugs on the smaller size.
St. Joe River
Trees are starting to change, tourists are gone, and hunters are getting ready to go to the hills. The rivers will become almost vacant in a couple of weeks as the kids are back in school and folks are getting ready for winter. In short, the fishing on the Joe this time of year can be absolutely wonderful.
Currently, the St. Joe River is fishing amazing right now. In fact, this is my favorite time of year on the Joe. It is a bit more on the technical side but that is no problem. The fish will be in pools and flat water sipping small ants, rusty spinners, and pmds in the small variety. Also, you’ll find that spruce moths are out and about from early morning to midday. You should start looking for blue-winged olives on overcast and rainy days. This is the time of year to use 12-foot leaders and fine tippet as the fish start to get a tad bit picky. Finally, October caddis pupae nymphs are a great choice now, as they are starting to migrate closer to the shorelines and the trout love these guys.
Clark Fork River (MT)
Again, it’s an awesome time of year to be out on the rivers and this year is no exception. The trico fishing is predominate on the Fork now. Also, early morning sippers in the flats are most likely eating trico spinners or pmd spinners. And, there will be caddis from the evening caddis hatch still bouncing around laying eggs. So, using a skittered caddis or stripping a pair of soft hackles above pods of rising fish will seal the deal in the mornings. The hopper fishing is still relevant as well as beetles and ants. Again, the small flying ants that we get this time of year are a big player on the Fork. (I’ll run a smaller Morrish hopper with a small 18-22 flying ant as a dropper behind.) Plus, the smaller chubby chernobyls will do well as hopper imitations too. The late afternoon fishing will start to get really good this time of year. So, don't be afraid to stay until dark and swing soft hackles and caddis.
See past reports from the CDA region here, or click here to view all northwest regional reports.