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Saint Joe River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The shadowed Joe: a wild cutthroat river running tea-clear through cedar country, catch-and-release and proud of it.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
575 cfs
Air / High
60 / 65 F
Wind
WNW 3 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 12414500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Saint Joe River rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. The river is running 575 cfs, on the rise. Today brings a mixed sky, wind WNW around 3 mph, steady pressure near 1015 hPa and a high of 65. Water sits around 54 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutGood

Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown troutGood

Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 72 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from St. Joe River at Calder.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 12414500.

384459534575 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp60 F
High / Low65 / 51 F
WindWNW 3-7 mph
Pressure1015.2 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain31% cloud, 82%
Sunrise / Sunset06:08 / 19:18
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~54 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Rain, 65/51 F, wind 4 mph, rain 82%

Slow. High rain chance; fish the front edge before it arrives.

Species guide

The species that matter on Saint Joe River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Best: Sep-Nov

Wary, predatory and nocturnal by preference. The big ones eat streamers. Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

When to come: the Saint Joe River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 54 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~54 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Saint Joe River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 66 F, wind to 6 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 68 F, wind to 8 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 87 F, wind to 10 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Idaho requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Catch-and-release, barbless single hooks for cutthroat above Avery: standard limits differ below. Idaho license required: check current IDFG upper-Joe rules.

Access

St. Joe River Road (FH 50) pullouts and campgrounds from St. Maries to Spruce Tree; trail access to the headwaters beyond.

About this water

A wild westslope cutthroat river from the Bitterroots to Coeur d’Alene Lake through Shoshone and Benewah counties, Idaho.

Fishing Saint Joe River: the full guide

River of the cedars

The St. Joe pours out of the Bitterroots through St. Joe National Forest cedar bottoms to Coeur d’Alene Lake: the world’s highest navigable river by the old boast, and Idaho’s definitive westslope cutthroat stream by any measure. Above Avery the river is a wilderness-grade freestone: catch-and-release cutthroat water where a twelve-inch fish is standard and sixteen-plus earns the photograph. The lower river adds smallmouth and northern pike toward the lake.

Cutthroat honesty

Westslopes are optimists: from July through September they rise to well-drifted attractor dries (Chubbies, stimulators, purple hazes) in every soft seam and bucket. The upper river (Spruce Tree to Heller Creek country) is walk-and-wade paradise: the middle river floats well early season. When August drops the river skinny, fish the canyon shade and the deeper green pools at first light: the fish concentrate and stay honest.

Reading the Joe’s year

Runoff holds the river high into late June most years: the Calder gauge dropping through 2,000 cfs opens the float season, and 400-800 cfs is prime wading water. October turns the cottonwoods and brings blue-winged olives and quiet: the finest week of the season for those who show up. Winter belongs to the whitefish and the snowplows: Avery records some of Idaho’s deepest valley snow.

The long road in

The St. Joe River Road parallels fifty-plus fishable miles from St. Maries past Avery toward the headwaters: pullouts every few hundred yards, campgrounds (Tin Can Flat, Conrad Crossing, Spruce Tree) spaced up the canyon. Above Spruce Tree the road ends and the trail river begins: the further you walk, the better it gets. Fuel and supplies stop at Avery: stock accordingly.

Common questions

Why do anglers pilgrimage to the Joe?

Wild cutthroat in numbers on dry flies, in cedar-canyon scenery, protected by decades of catch-and-release: it is native-trout fishing as it was meant to feel.

When does it fish best?

July through mid-September for the classic dry-fly game: the first week of October for solitude and color.

Do I need a raft?

No: the road serves endless wade water. Floats shine in early July when flows still push and access the water between pullouts.

Is fishing good at Saint Joe River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Coeur d Alene Lake35 miNorth Fork Clearwater River40 miDworshak Reservoir46 miNoxon Rapids Reservoir51 miLake Pend Oreille62 miClearwater River71 mi
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