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!