St. Joe River Outing

Dates: July 26-28

Hosts: Alicia & Ken Moore

Sign-In: Guests are required to sign waiver on site. 

How to get there:  There are two main ways to reach St. Joe & Fly Flat Campground. 

Directions #1: Easiest & longest is via St Maries, ID. Take Dishman-Mica Road south to the intersection of WA-27. Turn right takes you to the sign to “Rockford” where you take a left (Emma St) into Rockford.  Go a short distance; take a right onto to WA-278 S. which takes you into Idaho, & the road now becomes ID-58E. You will later merge onto US-95 S to Plummer, ID. Entering Plummer you will see “St. Maries/I-5E” sign, turn left onto Cedar St & remain on I-5E.

You enter St. Maries on I-5E [It is highly recommend you fill up your car with gas in St. Maries.] which becomes Main St. Turn right on 4th, go one block turn left onto College St. & look for the sign to “Harrison,” & turn left onto 3rd St which becomes ID-3. Cross over the St. Joe River, go until you see the sign to “Avery,” turn right & stay on St. Joe River Road to Avery. Allow time to stop at “The Idaho Fly Fishing Company” in Avery for a sandwich or ice cream and pick up a few flies. Licenses are available across the road at Sheffey’s Store as is soda, beer, ice and pricey gas! The Fly Flat Campground is about 30 miles from Avery on St. Joe River Rd. Turn right across the bridge on Red Ives Rd. 218 and go 3.4 miles to campground.

Directions #2: Take I-90 to St. Regis, MT, & head over the mountain. Get gas & a fishing license at Cantrell’s Fly Shop, just north of town. Exit freeway & take a left to the four-way. Left again & go about a mile to Little Joe RD. Left again for 28 miles, left just past mile marker #77. The 14 mile Montana side is gravel that can get a bit rough and dusty.

Campsite: Fly Flat CG has 14 sites suitable for tents & small-medium trailers. Some anglers have CAREFULLY maneuvered larger RV’s & 5th wheelers. Two well maintained outhouses & a pump with sometimes cloudy, but potable water. Please be prepared to share camp sites as we can get cozy with all the folks on this outing. Look for the club banner.

There is a chance that we won’t be able to find room at Fly Flat as there are no reservations available. In this case we’ll be spreading out to one of the nearby campsites in the neighborhood.

Mosquitoes are always a possibility, be prepared with repellents if they bother you.

Flies: The “Joe” is a fine cutthroat fishery with fish ranging from 8-18 inches. Primarily a dry fly fishery, nymphs can also be very successful. Size can be an important factor with insects smaller in size at this time of year.

Many patterns will work on the St. Joe. Presentation is often more important than the specific fly chosen. Drag free drift will provide the greatest number of opportunities.

Flies in the size range of: 14’s, 16’s, 18’s are good choices unless otherwise noted.

Choices: Elk Hair Caddis in tan; Adams; Parachute Adams; Purple Haze Parachutes; Yellow Sallies; Comparadun’s Tan, Olive; Stimulators 10, 12, 14; yellow, orange; Humpies in tan, red, orange; Turk’s Tarantula’s 10,12,14 tan, olive, grey with a small nymph dropper; Swing soft hackles during evening, there are many choices. Don’t overlook Hoppers, yellow, tan, Joe’s Hoppers, Ants in black, Bees, size 12,14, Rusty Spinners, Beatles, Foam flies; Chubby Chernobyl’s, Royal Trudes, Royal Wulffs and more.

River Report Updates: Silverbow (924-9998) website has weekly updates on the Joe, along with recommended flies. These are also available on the club Forum/Blog.

Special Note: This is a great chance for the novice fisher, as cuts are always hungry & we will have plenty of “experts” available. It is a relatively easy river for wading & it should be warm enough, but always bring a variety of clothing. The river is cool in the early morning and waders are often worn. However during the day “wet” wading is very popular as it can be hot out.

Group Dinner on Saturday night Just like last year The club will provide hamburgers and hot dogs  Otherwise the meal will be Potluck. Please bring whatever dish you want. No alphabet assignments. Paper plates, napkins, and plastic utensils will be provided. BYOB 

ADVANCED SIGN UP REQUIRED:  Sign up is online. Go to https://spokaneflyfishers.com. Log in.  Go to “Events”. Go down the page to St Joe Outing and click the image.  Go down to sign up form and sign up.  You are done. Make sure you have signed the online Waiver-Release Form.