A belated warm-up with a lot of snow in the mountains of the Coeur d’Alene and the St. Joe drainages, coupled with patches of rainy and sunny weather, has caused river flows to fluctuate.

The Coeur d’Alene and St. Joe rivers have peaked and ebbed, but up-and-down flows have not kept Joe Roope from testing the water for native cutthroat trout.

The Coeur d’Alene River discharge is below the 81-year average, with clear water and good bug hatches, said Roope, the owner of Castaway Fly Shop in Coeur d’Alene.

He doesn’t expect the forecasted rain this Memorial Day weekend to affect Coeur d’Alene River flows.

“It’s one of those good Memorial Day weekends,” Roope said. “The river has been in good shape for four or five days now.”

As the long weekend dawns, Roope and a trove of other fly casters will either recall Memorial Days past on the local rivers, or be out there themselves, casting flies into the soft spots anticipating a take.

By this weekend, most campgrounds in the Coeur d’Alene National Forest will be open. Bumblebee, Devil’s Elbow, Mokins Bay and Beauty Creek opened last weekend, while Bell Bay, Honeysuckle, Big Hank, and Berlin Flats will be open this weekend. Those campgrounds are operated by a concessionaire and usually require a reservation. Kit Price Campground is closed for hazard tree removal.

Because it pulls meltwater from higher elevations, the St. Joe River is a different beast than the Coeur d’Alene. The flow on the St. Joe peaked well above the 100-year average last week and has been steadily decreasing, but the water is discolored and the flows swift, Roope said.

“It’s not really in the conversation for this weekend,” he said.

A thundering St. Joe River will probably not deter campers and recreationists from heading east past Calder and Avery to Red Ives to fill the campsites along the river.

“That’s what we’re hoping for,” recreational staff officer Christine Plourde said.

Low-elevation St. Joe campgrounds are open, Plourde said, with the cost of the sites varying from $10 to $15, depending on the amenities offered. A third vehicle is $5 extra. Staying at the Shadow St. Joe campground near St. Maries costs $20.

The increased fee schedule provides for daily maintenance and improvement projects.

The Telchpah (formerly Squaw Creek) campground on the Little North Fork of the St. Joe is open, as are two campgrounds near Clarkia including Emerald Creek and Cedar Creek.

St. Joe Ranger District campsites are Forest Service-operated and, aside from the Red Ives cabins, don’t require a reservation.

“They are all first come — first serve,” Plourde said.

Visitors to the Coeur d’Alene River Ranger District should avoid the Coeur d’Alene Deception Creek area and Forest Road 612 until mid-June because of logging activities. The impacted area includes Windy Ridge to 5 Fingers Saddle.

Elyssa Bradley at the Prichard Tavern said a steady flow of traffic has been trundling up the Coeur d’Alene River Road to campsites and private river lots.

“For the past two weeks, it’s been busy every day,” she said.

Ryan Allen at Orvis Northwest Outfitters in Coeur d’Alene echoed Roope’s sentiment that the Coeur d’Alene River has been a clear-flowing, smooth-fishing river so far, while the Joe has been sketchy. Allen’s been fishing the lower reaches of the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene.

“It’s flowing clear,” he said. “All the signs are good.”

If you head upriver with a fly rod, the best patterns to pack for cutthroat trout are March Browns, Green Drakes and a few stonefly imitations, Roope said. And throw in some deep dragging nymphs, just in case.