Report Date: 2/8/14

Fishing this past week on Idaho’s Clearwater has continued to remain very good.  We did receive an arctic blast of air that slowed the fishing down some mid-week, but by Friday the river was back to fishing fantastic with numbers of fish landed reaching the double digit mark.  Our two most consistent techniques have been side drifting and backtrolling divers and bait combinations.  We have continued to have all our fishing effort on the river below Orofino as the upper river is now impacted by large amounts of ice. 

For this upcoming week we are going to see temperatures increase and the snow that has been falling should turn to rain.  As water levels come up and water temperatures warm we should see some fantastic fishing over the next few weeks.  We will continue to look to side drifting and backtrolling diver and bait to put fish in the boat for our clients.  As the water warms and fish start to make their “spring push” fly fishing with indicator rigs will also become a major fish producer.  We can have some great days in the spring fishing indicators and egg patters.  If you are looking for a spring steelhead adventure you owe it to yourself to give us a call and let our team of professional guides get you out on the river and into some Clearwater B-Run Steelhead.  

Report Date: 1/28/14

Fishing over the past week has remained very good on Idaho’s Clearwater River.  We have been experiencing one of the best January catch rates that any of us have ever seen!  We truly feel that this bodes very well for our upcoming February and March fishing.  Most of our success has come side drifting eggs and we have managed to have a few double digit days over the past few weeks.  Our second go to technique has been backtrolling diver and coon shrimp combos.  Our best producing colors of shrimp have been pink and purple.  On top of the great gear fishing we have had some stellar fly fishing over the past week as well.  We have landed fish both swinging large leach type flies on sink tips, as well as fishing egg patterns under indicators. We have also been landing some very large B-Run Steelhead in the 15-19 pound class almost every trip.  Most of our effort has continued to be on the river below Orofino, Idaho.  The upper river is currently very cold and has been impacted by some slush ice in the mornings. 

For this upcoming week and the first part of February we anticipate fishing to remain very good.  We are forecast to receive some rain in the Clearwater Valley starting Wednesday 1/29.  Some small storms moving in and out of the area should help warm the water temps in the upper river and get some fish moving.  We really think the great fishing is going to continue all the way through our season.  Gear anglers will see most of their success side drifting bait or backtrolling divers and shrimp.   Fly fishers looking to tough it out will continue to find success swinging large leach type patters on sink tips and fishing egg patterns under indicators.  Most of us really love to swing flies but we also realize just how effective a tool the indicator can be this time of year. 

We still have some opening for February and March, so if you are looking for a spring steelhead trip don’t hesitate to give us a call or shoot us an email as we will most likely be able to fit you in somewhere.  

Report Date: 12/16/13

The Deep freeze is over, and fishing has picked up significantly!  Over the past week we have seen temperatures increase to highs in the upper 30’s to low 40’s, and along with that water temps have come back up to our normal winter temps in the upper 30’s.  Fishing toward the end of last week was fantastic.  On Saturday two rods hooked a total of 11 steelhead!  We expect fishing to continue to be good through the holidays as the forecast is calling for no major change in the daytime highs.  During this time of year we have the most success backtrolling plugs or diver and bait combinations.  These techniques allow us to present our gear at a slow pace and give the fish plenty of time to decide whether they want to eat it or not.  Side drifting can also be extremely productive this time of year but we find that our success increases exponentially if the water temps are reaching the magic 38 degrees mark. 

For the remainder of this week and into next week look for fishing to continue to be good, and most people don’t realize that this can be the best time of year to be on the water.  Very few boats on the water and plenty of willing fish make for some very enjoyable days.  Also, all of our boats have heaters to keep you extra toasty when it’s a little cold outside. 

Don’t forget that we are offering a 25% discount off our regular trip price if you decide to fish with us during December and January!

We did a little video to give some insite into what a typical day of sidedrifting looks like for us on the Clearwater.  Hope you enjoy it!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUPEqwrhoK0

Report Date: 3/17/13

www.clearwaterrivercompany.com

As I write this report we are winding down our 2012-2013 steelhead season.  We had some incredible fishing over the past 7 months.  Every phase of our steelhead season brought with it special challenges and many rewards.  We are truly blessed to be able to make our living fishing on one of the greatest rivers in the entire Northwest.  We also blessed to spend countless days on the water with truly great individuals who decide to spend their hard earned money to enjoy a few days on the water with us.  If it were not for the generosity of our great clients we would not be able to make our passion our living.  Thank you from all of us at Clearwater River Company because it is you that make all this possible. 

Currently we are looking forward to our next fishing opportunities on the Clearwater, both Spring Chinook and Fall Steelhead will be here before we know it!  As for spring Chinook, we are forecasted to have a substantially smaller return of these incredibly tasty fish, but we should still hopefully see some great fishing opportunities even if it means a shorter season than the past few years.  Fish and Game should have seasons set sometime in late April, but before that we really won’t know what kind of season we are looking at.  If you are interested in a spring Chinook adventure with us don’t hesitate to get in touch with us, as our available dates should book up fast. 

The biggest thing we are looking forward to is our 2013 Fall Steelhead season.  We are already taking quite a few bookings, so if you know when you want to come and fish with us don’t hesitate to get your preferred dates booked.  Fall is our favorite time of year to be chasing steelhead on the Clearwater and it’s not an opportunity we think any outdoors person should ever go without.  I am already dreaming about giant B-Runs smashing a fly fished near the surface on a floating line, or a plug rod getting almost ripped out of a rod holder. 

Report Date: 1/14/13

Fishing over the past week or so has remained very consistent on the Clearwater.  Currently all of our efforts have been focused on the lower river, downstream of Orofino, as the upper river is flowing large amounts of ice.  Our guides have been averaging 7-10 hookups per day.  Most of our success has come from remaining versatile and employing a few different approaches throughout the day.  Back trolling plugs/ diver and bait, and side drifting eggs have been our most productive methods.  We even have been hooking a few fish swinging with the fly rods.  Overall we have had very good fishing during the early part of January and we expect that trend to continue through the latter half of the month and into February.

For this upcoming week it looks like the weather should improve over the next few days, which will make fishing a little more enjoyable.  Overall we expect the current fishing success to continue through the rest of this month as hopefully things start to warm up a bit.  It will take a decent rain and some substantially warmer temps to break up the ice above Orofino, but when that happens the upper river should be fishing very well. 

Remember that we are still running our holiday special through the end of January 14, 2013!  If you take a trip with us this month you will receive a 25% discount off your trip.  Also for those of you looking to get out with us during February and early March we are starting to fill up a bunch of days so get in touch with us a.s.a.p. to book your preferred dates!

Report date: 12/11/12

Currently the Clearwater is fishing great. Last week we had a high water event that shut things down for a few days, but as of yesterday the river was back to fishing great! On Monday 12/10/12 Clearwater river company clients had a fantastic day with one boat going 6-6 and the other boat going 5-7. Fish were landed while back trolling plugs and side drifting bait. This is a fantastic time of year to be fishing Idaho's Clearwater River! For the rest of this week and into next week we expect fishing to remain good, and as long as we don't get any super cold temps fishing will stay good through the end of the month and into January!

Don't forget we are offering a holiday special!  Any one who takes a trip with us during December and January will recive a twenty five percent discout!!! For More information check out www.clearwaterrivercompany.com