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. 

Clearwater River Steelhead Report

Report Date 2.6.12

Fishing on the Clearwater last week remained very good, but was a tad slower than the week before.   What I mean by a tad slower is that instead of landing 10 or 11 like the week prior we were into 6-7 per day last week.   The weather in the Clearwater area was absolutely beautiful last week with clear, warm, sunny days that made us feel like we were fishing in March.  The only downside to the clear sunny days was it meant cold clear nights that have steadily dropped water levels and temperatures.  Our best fishing for last week occurred during the afternoons.  Many days the afternoon bite was absolutely phenomenal!  We caught fish with a variety of methods last week but the two most consistent methods were diver and shrimp or side drifting eggs.   Like most always anglers that pick the method that they have the most confidence in seem to have the most success.  Most of our attention last week was on the lower river which has been producing very consistently for the past two months.   Fish seem to be spread out throughout the lower river so just pick a section you know and fish it well.  We also heard some great reports from the upper river.  The Kooskia/ Kamiah area fished very well mid week, but by the weekend cold night time temps had the river flowing some slush during the first few hours in the morning. 

For next week look for river and weather conditions to stay about the same.  Cold nights followed by clear warm days will mean that the afternoons are going to fish much better that the early mornings, so don’t worry about being on the water a first light.  The lower river should stay fairly consistent and should be the main focus area for the next week.  There are tons of fish in the upper river, but fishing conditions can be difficult with low clear flows.  Anglers that want to fish the upper river should sleep in and get a good breakfast before hitting the river.  Over the weekend the Ice has quit flowing by about 10 am, and good fishing started about 1pm. 

This has already been a really great spring season and we still have some great dates available.  If you are interested in a guided trip from us now is the time to book.  We fish until the middle of March, so book now to fish the best days.