Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Clearwater River Steelhead Report

Report Date 1.17.2012

Last week on the Clearwater was a case of the low water blues.  The river fished well all week up until Saturday morning when the combination of a winter storm system and a ton of boat traffic on the lower river combined to make fishing very tough over the weekend.  We still managed to get a few fish over the weekend but we found ourselves really working hard for bites.   As has been the case over the past few weeks back trolling diver and shrimp and side drifting eggs have been the most productive methods for hooking into Clearwater steelhead.  During periods of low clear water it is important for anglers to realize that fish will not move far to take even the most well presented baits, because of this we fish runs very slow and cover the most likely holding water multiple times with the thought that maybe the fish need to see a bait a few times before they will move to take it. 
For the remainder of this week and next week we are going to see a major change in fishing conditions on the Clearwater.  Heavy snowfall is predicted throughout the region through Wednesday, but after mid week the forecast is calling for rain for the foreseeable future.  This hopefully will mean great things for fishing on the Clearwater.  Hopefully the rain/ snow will bring river levels up causing our steelhead to start their spring migration.  If the river comes up, but does not blow out expect really good fishing, throughout the entire river.   If the river does “blow out” it usually is very short lived and the fishing once levels start to drop, can be fantastic.  We seem to get this water flush every year about the middle of January and it often leads to some of our best fishing of the year.  If you are looking to get into some big Clearwater steelhead your best opportunity for the spring season may be during the next few weeks!
If you would like to book a guided fishing trip please take a look at our website http://www.clearwaterrivercompany.com/ or give me a call at 208-861-0654

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