and wading for a day or floating downstream in a driftboat, I’ ll choose the driftboat every time. And the Clark Fork is ideal driftboat water, with long runs between modest rapids with trout usually rising to dry flies all the way.
The Clark Fork in this section— from Alberton Gorge to Paradise— is big and can be intimidating. But, with some prudence and a person on the oars with decent experience, this river is easily tamed in normal flows.
My general rule of thumb is that I’ ll fish the Clark Fork anywhere from a level flow of 16,000 cubic feet a second and lower. Seeing the Clark Fork at high flows can be intimidating, but if you have a couple feet of clarity on the banks it’ s game on for the fish. The water color can deter folks, but I’ ve had amazing days either nymphing or dry-fly fishing with only a foot or two of clarity. I believe water temperatures and bug activity are the determining factors, not necessarily water clarity.
Another bonus to fishing this stretch of the river is that it is highly accessible: I-90 runs along most of its length and there are small towns and exits offering access along the way. If you are restricted to wading, you can explore the banks and see what you can find. Sometimes that is where you have to start and if you do that, it won’ t be long before you’ re finding what the Clark Fork fishery is best known for— pods of 12-to 20 inch rainbows feeding on dry flies. It also offers good numbers of cutthroats and cutt-bows, plus a few brown and bull trout, too.
The only thing holding back some Idaho and Washington anglers from fishing the Clark Fork is the drive. I can make it from Coeur d’ Alene to St. Regis in about 90 minutes if I don’ t have to deal with road construction and / or bad weather. During summer, construction is an issue. During spring and fall you have to consider pass conditions because you’ ll cross two( Fourth of July and Lookout) to reach St. Regis. Each can be miserable to negotiate when things are bad. Al- ways check the department of transportation websites before heading out on this drive.
Before you write off that drive, realize it takes roughly the same time to drive from Coeur d’ Alene to the lower end of the St. Joe River and the upper stretches of the Coeur d’ Alene. So, it takes about the same time to fish any of our three best stream options, whether you do so when the snow flies or during the warm, dry summer months.
The Clark Fork in Alberton Gorge is mostly for whitewater enthusiasts, even though biologists do see elevated trout populations through this section, due to cool flows dropping in from Fish Creek and elevated oxygen levels from all of the rapids. And they note some of the biggest fish in the river here. But, again, this area has numerous rapids, including Boateater, Cliffside, Rest Stop, Tumbleweed and Fang, to name a few, and is best suited for rafting and kayaking— but only for experts. Anglers really have no business pushing their luck by floating through here.
This stretch becomes angler-friendly near the bottom of the Gorge at Tarkio. This is a great place to launch a boat because it offers concrete pavers all the way to the water and usually enough room for two rigs to launch at the same time. During mid-summer, it can be congested with whitewater folks, so keep that element in mind.
There’ s good fishing in this stretch, all the way down to the Forest Grove boat takeout / boat launch. There are a few campsites at Forest Grove and outhouses as well. It’ s about a five to six-mile float between these access, so you can pull it off in a short amount time if you choose, or you can beach the boat now and then to extend the float.
The next takeout is at Superior, roughly seven or eight miles downstream. Superior is a small town about 15 minutes east of St. Regis. The boat launch is not paved, but great nonetheless. In addition, you can gas up or get food
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