Silverbow and N Idaho Fly Casters concerned about the St Joe River
Sean and the Silverbow Fly Shop crew received an email from our friends at the North Idaho Fly Casters Club regarding jet boat races on the St. Joe River. They are proposing to extend the race up to Marble Creek. Currently, the race ends at the Calder Bridge. Sean believes and we agree that jet boats on rivers such as the St. Joe River (Coeur d’Alene and Spokane River) are not only harmful to the trout habitat, but also a danger to drift boat and wade anglers. Sean wrote a letter to the Shoshone Planning and Zoning Commissioner expressing his concern for extending the drift races. If you fish these areas or are also concerned with angler safety and trout habitat please write in or attend the meeting. More info below.
– Sean Visintainer, Silverbow Fly Shop
From the N. Idaho Fly Casters:
There will be a Shoshone County Planning & Zoning Commissioner’s meeting at the Calder Store on March 14th at 5:30. This meeting is to discuss the proposed extension of Jet Boat Races in May up the river to Marble Creek. The race route currently runs from St. Maries to Calder.
In keeping with the conservation philosophy of NIFC, Sean’s opinion is to keep the upper Joe immune from commercial exploitation and unnatural turbulence which could possibly change the river’s structure, cause unnatural erosion and harm the aquatic habitat (west coast cutthroat).
If you or our members would like to weigh in on this please attend the meeting on the 14th or email the Shoshone Planning and Zoning Commissioner: pz@co.shoshone.id.us. Once it’s gone it’s gone forever.
Thanks.
Kathy Baker-Grigg
