SPOKANE — Much of America knew the name of the man nominated to replace Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor before she did.

O'Connor, in Spokane to speak at a conference of federal judges from the western United States, spent this afternoon fly-fishing on the St. Joe River in northern Idaho with U.S. District Judge Robert Whaley of Spokane.

They were out of cellphone cellular telephone range for much of the afternoon, and had no way to know that President Bush was trying to reach O'Connor to tell her of his choice of federal appeals- court Judge John Roberts Jr. to replace her on the high court.

As they crossed back into Washington state at about 5:50 p.m., Pacific time, Whaley said, his phone rang and he got the message that Bush had made a choice. O'Connor learned who that choice was from the car radio - just before the official announcement from Bush, and about an hour after the choice had been broadcast.

Whaley said O'Connor reacted to the choice of Roberts by saying, "He's confirmable."

To add insult to whatever injury the justice may have felt from the delayed notice, she caught no fish.