St Joe's river ???

Rob Allen

Rob Allen

Life of the Party
Never been there and just have a couple questions.

1. How far upriver should I go this time of year?

2. Is there lots of camping?
 

The St. Joe in September.

I’m looking a Conrad Crossing CG, 28 miles east of Avery. We have never camped that far down river. Drove through it but not our style of sites. But a 4wt is fine still.
pnwflyfishing.com pnwflyfishing.com
 
It’s tough in August, you have to get up fairly early before the flotilla crowd gets on the water….better in Sept-Oct and then late spring early summer.
 
Clean Willy said:
Was there for the first time a few days ago. I've never been rejected so many times in my life. Slow cutthroaty rises up to look at whatever I threw and either turned away or mouthed it and spit. Still fun.
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They have seen a lot of flies by this time of the year, and they start acting pretty snooty :ROFLMAO:. If it's not exactly what they are looking for they'll abort mission.
 
I was there last week for the first time....fished within the last five miles of road. Top water bite ended around 9:15 all three days, came back around 3:30. 3 on Wednesday, 15ish on Thursday, 3 on Friday. Longest was 15", but got a 13" football on a GRHE. I definitely prefer fishing on top, but was forced to go deeper...but I had no weight or indicators. Using a foam & rubber legged thing that I bought at the shop in Avery (marked 'hot fly') as an indicator, I was shocked at the vicious strike the 15" provided when he hit the indicator...another fly fisher was watching me fish who said he had been fishing the Joe for 40 years was amazed at the violence of that take and said it was one of the largest cuts he'd seen in the river recently. He jumped into his truck and headed to the shop in Avery to stock up on foam & rubber flies.
Some really nice looking boulder runs way below the road, but you'd have to rappel to get down there. Most of the campgrounds in the area were full by Thursday night, but the procession of monstrous 5th wheel trailers with side by sides behind them was thick Friday morning..
I'll try again next spring.
 
Otisdog said:
I was there last week for the first time....fished within the last five miles of road. Top water bite ended around 9:15 all three days, came back around 3:30. 3 on Wednesday, 15ish on Thursday, 3 on Friday. Longest was 15", but got a 13" football on a GRHE. I definitely prefer fishing on top, but was forced to go deeper...but I had no weight or indicators. Using a foam & rubber legged thing that I bought at the shop in Avery (marked 'hot fly') as an indicator, I was shocked at the vicious strike the 15" provided when he hit the indicator...another fly fisher was watching me fish who said he had been fishing the Joe for 40 years was amazed at the violence of that take and said it was one of the largest cuts he'd seen in the river recently. He jumped into his truck and headed to the shop in Avery to stock up on foam & rubber flies.
Some really nice looking boulder runs way below the road, but you'd have to rappel to get down there. Most of the campgrounds in the area were full by Thursday night, but the procession of monstrous 5th wheel trailers with side by sides behind them was thick Friday morning..
I'll try again next spring.
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Nice job. Cutts being cutts, you will find the occasional large fish from a pool that will hammer a dry fly (fallen butterfly or moth???) even in bright sunlight. But you only have one shot at these fish (element of surprise). Otherwise, I like to fish the faster water at the head of the pool (or even slightly above). There the fish are in the feeding line for drifting insects. And you give them no time to criticize your flytying... Eat the fly or it's gone.
When I was younger, we would scale some of those slopes, but my nimbleness is not what it used to be... There is definitely a "tidal" flow to the campgrounds with lots of weekend action. Since COVID, there has been an explosion of 5th wheels and toy haulers for folks who enjoy riding ORV on the forest service roads.
Steve
 
Otisdog said:
I was there last week for the first time....fished within the last five miles of road. Top water bite ended around 9:15 all three days, came back around 3:30. 3 on Wednesday, 15ish on Thursday, 3 on Friday. Longest was 15", but got a 13" football on a GRHE. I definitely prefer fishing on top, but was forced to go deeper...but I had no weight or indicators. Using a foam & rubber legged thing that I bought at the shop in Avery (marked 'hot fly') as an indicator, I was shocked at the vicious strike the 15" provided when he hit the indicator...another fly fisher was watching me fish who said he had been fishing the Joe for 40 years was amazed at the violence of that take and said it was one of the largest cuts he'd seen in the river recently. He jumped into his truck and headed to the shop in Avery to stock up on foam & rubber flies.
Some really nice looking boulder runs way below the road, but you'd have to rappel to get down there. Most of the campgrounds in the area were full by Thursday night, but the procession of monstrous 5th wheel trailers with side by sides behind them was thick Friday morning..
I'll try again next spring.
Click to expand...
I fished there in September a few years back. The fellow in the Avery fly shop told us the hot summer fly was a #8 hopper. He was right. That worked until the frost killed the hoppers. Small dry flies like a #18 Renegade were effective. Cabezon wades where few others dare. Neither currents nor reason will sway him.
 
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