Coeur d'Alene Fishing Report 11.01.18

Coeur d'Alene River

If you haven't been able to partake in the incredible fishing on this river as of late, you are missing out.  Numerous killer reports here on the CDA.  From great nymphing to fantastic dry fly fishing, and streamer fishing, it’s been great.  This river has been giving it up big time.  There have been big fish too, guys and gals.  The big boys are out to play and are eating dry flies like nobody's business.  The weather has become cooler so, this will shorten the hatches somewhat but at times can be denser as well.  Still, there have been lots of mahoganies and blue-winged olives.  These guys will be the main players on all of our rivers for the remainder of the fall.  Midges are prevalent too along with a few smaller caddis.  The October caddis are around but not as many.  You’ll want to try some streamer fishing too.  Smaller streamers like a near-nuff sculpin in olive are killer or a basic bunny leech in black in an 8# or 6# will work. And, you don't need to strip them very fast either.  Swinging them with an occasional strip will do just fine but remember to keep moving through the run.  Run your dry flies first through the hole and then come back through with the streamers. You may be surprised that you will pick off a few bigger fish in that same water.

St. Joe River

If you haven't noticed the unbelievable fall colors this year, you might want to take a trip up the Joe and just sit on the river bank and stare at the hills all day long.  This alone would be worth the price of admission, but the trout fishing has been a definite bonus to the killer fall scenery.  The Joe never ceases to amaze me how consistent it fishes throughout the year.  This river just fishes straight up awesome.  As of late, the blue winged-olives are king.  The mahoganies are about too, but not in big numbers.  There is some smaller caddis around too.  A great all-around rig for right now on the Joe can be a size 16 x-caddis with a small soft hackle or an 18-20 blue wing olive cripple as a dropper.  The fish can be pretty picky this time of year, so using longer 12-foot leaders in the pools and flat water will be a necessity.  Finally, there is not much time left for this goodness so take advantage of it and enjoy this awesome fall.

Clark Fork River (MT)

The fishing is awesome here. The hatches are getting shorter lived but while it’s on, it's on big time.  The fish are strong and fighting good right now with the colder water.  If you are fishing light leaders, 5x-6x, a softer rod will be the way to go, so you can protect your leaders and knots.  Swinging soft hackles early in the foam pools will find you fish before the hatches.  When it kicks off, you’ll want to use small blue winged olives and some occasional mahoganies.  I'd run a size #14 mahogany with a blue wing olive cripple in a #18-#20 when the fish are podded up and sipping in the flats.  Or, if things are slow, using a large orange stimulator with a size #12 bead head pheasant tail dropper will find fish for sure. The weather is looking wetter and colder later this week, so the windows of goodness should be in the afternoon when the temps. are the warmest.

Steelhead

The steelhead fishing has actually been pretty darn good considering the lower fish numbers.  I have been out quite a bit this fall, and I have had some fantastic days.  Also, we’re getting good reports from guide friends on the Clearwater and Grande Ronde Rivers too.  These have not been huge number days but 2-4 fish a day on either river and I consider that good steelheading.  This has been from a mix of anglers.  Fly guys swinging and nymphing, and gear guys pulling plugs out of boats, jig and bobber guys too.  All seem to be getting into fish.  The water has come up quite a bit this last weekend, so naturally, this will move new fish into the system with others already there on the move upstream.  Be prepared to start fishing more aggressive sink tips and fishing softer edges with the increase of water.  The fish will push hard in these conditions and knowing where to concentrate your efforts is key. We’ve found fish in the lower portions of the faster runs in, "resting water."  We’ve also seen lots of rolling fish, which can indicate the fish are really pushing up the river hard.  Try using a bigger profile and flashy fly patterns now such as; kilowatts, prom dresses, and popsicles.  The water is a bit off-color green with the rain and a bump in flows, so the bigger flashy patterns do well in these conditions.

See past reports from the CDA region here, or click here to view all northwest regional reports.