Report Date: 10/16/12

Fishing over the past week continued to be decent with gear anglers back trolling plugs having the highest rate of success.  On the water success for fly anglers seems to be as diverse as the anglers themselves.  Some guys are struggling to hook fish while others are consistently hooking up daily.  The biggest key to consistent success with the fly seems to be finding fish that want to move to the fly.  The guys out there covering the most water and fishing hard are the ones finding success.  It also seems that people willing to fish with a light sink tip are out fishing the floating line guys by a large margin. 

As most people know yesterday was the opening day of Steelhead Harvest season on most of the Clearwater River.  Some of our guides did very well getting their clients into a bunch of big B-Run steelhead.  If you are looking at getting into a few fish to keep now is the time to hit the Clearwater.  Our boats caught fish back trolling plugs and side drifting eggs.  Both of these methods can be extremely effective this time of year, and it seems that a combination of the two methods used throughout the day seems to give guys the best chance at success. 

Report Date 10/9/12

Fishing continued to be decent over the past week but the prolonged dry spell that we are in has the Clearwater running very, very, low and clear.  This has made things a little bit more difficult than normal for this time of year.  Even with the slightly more difficult conditions fly anglers continued to have a decent opportunity at hooking a few fish.  Most success has come to anglers that know the river well and are fishing hard.  Steelhead fly fishing is not easy and guys fishing lots fishy water are getting hookups.  Most of the normal dry line stuff has been producing, but the most success seems to be coming from guys willing to throw tips and larger flies.  For some reason the larger presentation is getting fish to move a little better. 

Gear anglers continue to have good success pulling plugs through productive steelhead water.  The biggest issue for gear anglers is the large numbers of fall Chinook in the system.  If you are able to get your gear into fishy water without a big nook grabbing it then we seem to end up hooking a steelhead. 

I feel overall that fishing has been fairly decent and if we can get some good rain we will see some fantastic steelhead fishing.  Pray for rain and keep fishing hard and the fish will come!

Report Date:  10/1/12

Fishing continued to be decent over the past week and we have started to see some very large B Run Steelhead enter the system.  Fly anglers continued to have moderate success as the river was fairly busy during the latter part of the week and into the weekend.  Anglers that seemed to find some untouched water and fish seemed to have decent success.  Most of our fish were caught fishing small hair wing type patterns near the surface while the sun was off the water, and on small leach type stuff in black or purple on a light sink tip during the mid-day period.  Once again it seems that the anglers covering the most water tend to be the ones rewarded with a fish or two also don’t forget to switch thing up a little when there are lots of other guys stepping through runs.  The crowds should calm down a little over last week as Poppy, from The Red Shed in Peck, Idaho was having his yearly spey gathering on the Clearwater.  After the clave things seem to calm down quite a bit. 

Gear anglers continued to have good success back trolling metallic finished plugs.  Guys who fish gear this time of year often have really good success catching big B Run Steelhead.  Other methods that consistently produce fish this time of year are spoons and float and jig presentations. 

All anglers need to remember that above Memorial Bridge in Lewiston the Clearwater River is Catch and Release for all steelhead fishing, and these fish need to be treated with the upmost respect.

On another note guys need to realize that the water is very low at this point in time and if you are running a power boat you need to be especially careful!  One of our guides actually got a drift boat stuck the other day!  Just be cautious and watch out for each other and things will be groovy.

Report Date: 9/24/12

Over the past week our guides have continued to have decent success swinging flies on the Lower Clearwater.  The fishing has not been gangbuster but the fish are here and anglers willing to fish hard have been having decent success.  The biggest key to success has been covering lots of water.  Anglers who fish hard over good water are having success.  Other major keys to successful fishing have been fishing good water (not just water that is easy to fish), not being afraid to try new water, and switching to light sink tips during periods of high sun and heavy fishing pressure.   Sometimes all it takes to get a grab is to present your fly a little lower in the water column.  Small, buggy, spey type patters and small leach type stuff have been our go to offerings.

Gear anglers continue to have good success back trolling plugs.  Metallic finishes have been the best producers.  Wiggle Wart and Hot Shot type plugs have been consistent producers.  I can’t think of a more enjoyable time of year to be out on the Clearwater Fishing for B Run Steelhead, and speaking of B runs our guides have been into quite a few large fish over the last few days.  Hopefully it’s a sign of things to come!

Report Date: 9/19/12

Over the past week steelhead numbers at Lower Granite have continued to increase daily.  Good numbers of fish have been crossing the dam since the middle of last week.  Fishing has also continued to improve in the lower Clearwater.  Most successful anglers are targeting the river below Cherry Lane Bridge, but there should be some fish distributed all the way to Orofino.  Fly anglers this week continued to have some success swinging small wet flies such as Lady Caroline’s and Green Butt Skunks near the surface on floating lines during low light hours or when the sun is behind the fish in the later afternoon hours.  During the mid-day hours anglers that switched things up a bit and fished small leach type patterns on light sink tips also found some success.  The key to getting a fish on a swung fly is to fish hard and this principal has not changed since last week.  Anglers willing to put their time in and cover lots of water have been rewarded with feisty steelhead.

Gear anglers also continued to have decent success with most fish coming to a variety of back trolled plugs such as hot shots and wiggle warts.  During this time of year the metallic type finishes seem to be the best plug options. 

Flows at Dworshak Dam have now been reduced to our low fall flows and the river is currently in prime fall form.  These are the water conditions most people associate with fall steelhead fishing in Idaho, and I must admit that I get a little giddy seeing all of the wonderful steelhead water reappear after a spring and summer of high flows.  This is the time of year we have all waited for, and I am jacked!

Report Date: 9/10/12

An increase in steelhead counts at Lower Granite over the past few days combined with dropping flows have led to an increase in catch rates on the Lower Clearwater.   We have been having consistent success swinging small traditional hair wing type pattern near the surface during the low light hours as well as small dark leachy stuff on light sink tips when the sun is high.  Our key to success has been to cover lots of water and fish hard.  When the water is still high in late summer guys need to approach the Clearwater a little different than you would during early October.  During August and the first half of September we look for fish in areas that will have little to no water later in the year.  Fish the fishy water and don’t be afraid to fish runs with your back in the brush and you will find fish.  The river is very big this time of year so fish the water you can effectively and forget about the rest.  Overcasting is one of the biggest mistakes we see from many anglers on the Clearwater.  Look for fishing to continue to improve during the next few weeks.  Discharge from Dworshak Dam will continue to decrease as the flow augmentation period for the lower river draws to a close.  The river will be slowly stepped down over the next week and a half and by the end of September the Clearwater will be in her prime low fall flows.  The fall is a magical time in the Clearwater Valley and should be on everyone’s to fish list!

Report Date:  8/12/12

Steelhead season has begun!  Over the past few weeks some early “A run” Steelhead have been trickling into the lower Clearwater River.  Although the river is not loaded with fish yet these fish are very aggressive and will attack a well presented fly if you get it in their vicinity.  This is a great sign that our fall season is going to be a good one.   During this time of year fly anglers that are not intimidated by the higher water, and are willing to fish with their backs against the brush often times find great success on early Clearwater Steelhead.   These are the same fish that guys will be catching on the Snake, Ronde, and Salmon Rivers later in the fall.  These early fish pull into the lower Clearwater to escape the warm temperatures in the main stem Snake, and hang out until they decide to head up river.  I can’t think of a better time of year to be out on the water.  The early portion of the run is a great time to hone up your casting skills and get everything in grove for later in the fall.  If you are interested in one of our early steelhead trips get in touch with us!  This is a great time to be on the water and anglers that are fishing now will not only be better caster, but better fisherman come prime time later in the fall.