A small logging community , St . Maries has the most amenities . It has a couple of gas stations , a few diners and restaurants , and some hotels and stores . You will want to gear up in St . Maries if you need anything . ( Calder has no fuel and only one café .) Avery , which has fuel , has one small store and a fly shop . There you can get sandwiches , beverages , and ice cream . If you go , remember , beyond Avery , there are no other stores or fuel .
The Joe is very dynamic with a variety of water to choose from . During the course of its flow , from the upper end around Red Ives Ranger station down to the lake , the river changes dramatically . The upper third of the river is in a deep and narrow canyon . It has a high gradient for several miles and there are lots of gorges with big shady pools which lead into rock gardens with awesome pocket water . There is plenty of access along the entire river , including pullouts and campsites too . From Red Ives down into Marble Creek , the river has a medium gradient that mellows out after Marble creek . It then becomes a meandering stream . From St . Joe City down to the lake , the river is very slow moving and it becomes more of a bass and pike fishery .
The Joe offers many ways to fish . Plus , it is a perfect river for a walk and wade day . This is how most folks enjoy the Joe , especially from Avery upriver . I prefer to drift the Joe when I can , especially from Avery downstream , there is great drift boat fishing and plenty of access too .
There are six usable boat launches from Avery . First , in Avery , there is a launch at the local fly shop . Then , the next launch is at Fish Hook . Next , there is a launch located below the bridge at Marble Creek . This launch is then followed by Huckleberry campground , below that is Calder . After that , there is a launch at Big Eddy restaurant . And , finally , there is a launch at 16-mile bridge . As you progress from Avery down , the water changes to slower and more manageable floats . I use 7,000 cubic feet per second , at the Calder gaging station , as my general rule of thumb for good flows to float . If you are a novice on the oars , I suggest you stay below Marble creek due to the changing dynamics of the river .
THE FISH
Westslope cutthroat , whitefish , and bull trout are the main actors on the Joe . There are also a handful of rainbows and cutbows willing to eat your fly as well . However , the cutthroat and the bull trout are strictly catch and release on the Joe . If you are not sure about what fish you are catching , it is always safe and prudent to let it go . The cutthroat in the Joe are wild and native , and IDFG has been working for years to restore their populations .
I am not sure of the population of fish , or the fish per mile in the Joe , but it is common to have 20- plus fish days there . You will also find that there is a great range of sizes too . The average size is around 12 to 15-inches . In the spring , when we primarily streamer fish , we tend to see that the average size is a bit bigger in the 15 to 18-inch range , with a few over 18 inches .
Overall , westslope cutthroat are not very picky and most of the time fly selection is not critical . During the warmer months , the dry fly fishing is incredible . Streamer fishing on the river is fantastic as well , yet , we don ’ t see too many folks doing it . There are also many varieties of sculpins and crayfish in the river . So , you can get away with using larger streamer patterns . As the season goes on and the water drops , we will downsize our patterns as needed .
HATCHES BY SEASON
We start fishing the river pre-runoff in late February or early March , depending on the weather and the ice flows . There are no dams on this freestone stream and this leads to the river icing up for a few months in the winter . We can usually count on fishing until early November . I ’ ve fished it as late as mid- November with decent success .
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