Clearwater River Steelhead Report

Report Date 2.13.12

Fishing on the Clearwater remained very good over the past week.  A few really warm days combined with some clouds and a small amount of rain elevated temperatures in the lower river to almost 42 degrees F over the weekend.  These kinds of water temperatures really wake the fish up and get them moving again toward their spawning grounds.  Fresh moving fish were caught throughout the system last week.   As has been the case for the past month side drifting eggs and back trolling diver and shrimp were the two most productive methods for gear anglers over the week. 

For this week, look for fishing conditions to stay good.  Water temps in the upper 30s to low 40’s are great for February fishing!  Fish will be moving and more aggressive to gear and flies.  Look for both the lower and upper river to fish well.  The warmer water temps mean that drift boat anglers should have decent success on the upper river this week.  For gear anglers drifting bait or back trolling bait are the two most effective methods for producing steelhead this time of year.  For fly anglers nymphing techniques using egg patters drifted naturally in the current are by far the most productive for catching numbers of Clearwater B Runs, but with water temps the way they are guys who want to swing should expect to get a few grabs if they are fishing near the bottom and put some substantial time into their fishing.  As we have been saying all winter, the guys who continue to swing flies during the spring will not only have a great appreciation for every fish brought to hand, but will be much better swing fishers come next fall.

If anyone is interested in booking a trip with us this spring keep in mind that we only fish until March 15^th.  With that said we have some great dates still available so don’t hesitate to book your spring steelhead adventure.