Rivers fast and furious

Most rivers are still running high throughout the Inland Northwest Rivers. That’s a deterrent to fishing, but an opportunity for whitewater paddlers and rafters.

By last weekend, the Forest Service campgrounds were mowed and ready for this weekend’s onslaught of campers for the Memorial Day weekend. But last Sunday, most of the campsites were empty and boats on the St. Joe River and its North Fork seemed to outnumber cars on the St. Joe River Road.

The St. Joe’s water was into the bank brush at 12,000 cubic feet per second and running fast. Most paddlers will wait for warmer water and lower flows even though they will have to more maneuvering through rocks and rapids.

Bob Kole of Avery and Dick Johnson of Post Falls were upstream from Avery, running their catarafts on a six-mile stretch through Skookum Canyon in less than an hour.

“The rocks are all covered; it’s fast and fun at this level,” said Kole.

Scouting, however, is critical in big fast water. The men had found a log across the river upstream in Tumble Down Canyon.

“Too dangerous, so we came farther downstream,” Johnson said.

Both men were wearing life vests and helmets — standard gear that all experienced whitewater boaters wear — plus dry suits to ward off the chill of spring waters that could render a capsized boater numb in seconds.

“We might get another peak flow on Memorial Day weekend or this may be the peak and it’s all downhill from here,” Kole said. The river flow had reached more than 14,000 cfs on May 19, but the USGS river gauges indicated the river level trend was down.

Either way, the flows won’t drop enough for prime trout-catching conditions in rivers such as the St. Joe and Coeur d’Alene for this weekend’s opening of the stream fishing season in Idaho.

Fishing success will gradually improve in the first few weeks of June as the river levels continue to drop and the water clarity improves.