CLEARWATER RIVER FISHING REPORT

Get Ready for A Massive Steelhead Salmon Run for 2023!

Spots Are Filling Up Fast

Over 5,300 Steelhead from Clearwater River Hatchery have successfully made their way past the Lower Granite Dam, marking the second highest run for this date since 2012.

Take a look at the graph below to see the numbers. Anglers are currently allowed to keep up to 2 hatchery steelhead, but we’re also seeing a few chinook, steelhead, and coho being caught each day.

The limit is 3 for chinook, 2 for steelhead, and 2 for coho. Keep in mind that the chinook catch may slow down, while the steelhead and coho catches are expected to increase.

Biggest Chinook Run in 10-Years!

We Limit Out 80% of the Time

Get ready for some great fishing near Lewiston, Idaho and the Clearwater River this season! The fall Chinook counts at the Bonneville Dam are above average, which means the fishing will be VERY GOOD.

The fishing season in Idaho started on August 18, 2023 (with the North Fork Clearwater opening on September 1). You can fish in the Snake River, lower Salmon River, and most of the Clearwater basin.

Remember, the daily limit is three adult fish, and you can keep both adipose clipped and unclipped fish. Plus, fishing is allowed seven days a week in all open areas. So grab your gear and get ready for an amazing fishing experience!

We Are Expecting A Large Steelhead Run this Year!

Get ready for an epic Steelhead run in the fall of 2023! The demand is off the charts, so make sure to secure your spot for an unforgettable fishing trip ASAP. Don’t wait too long or you might miss out on the adventure of a lifetime. Book now!

Steelhead Fishing in the Clearwater River 2022

We still have a couple months left for Clearwater, Snake, and Grande Ronde steelhead. We are currently taking a short break as air temps are forecasted to reach single digits. Once we warm back up we will be back at it. We have been finding fish scattered throughout the Clearwater River system and continue to catch nice big fish. As a reminder the Clearwater limit will stay at 1 fish after Jan 1, the Snake will bump up to 2 fish on Idaho tags, and the Grande Ronde will remain at 1 fish. January has been some of our best catching the past few seasons.

Encouraging News for the Upcoming Seasons

The NOAA analyzes ocean conditions to predict adult salmon returns using “stoplight” tables. They evaluate years of sampling data to rank each ocean ecosystem indicator and assign color codes (green = good, yellow = fair, red = poor) to reflect salmon growth and survival conditions. Unfortunately, the past seven years have had some of the worst ocean conditions. However, 2022 has been ranked as one of the best years since 1998, in fact, it’s the second-best in 23 years.

Let’s look at some interesting facts from prior years. In 1999, the ranking was 7.0, and in 2001, the Snake River basin recorded its largest Spring Chinook run ever. In 2008, the ranking was 3.2 (the best in 23 years), and in 2009, we witnessed over 300,000 fish returning over Lower Granite Dam, one of the largest A-run steelhead returns. 

In 2011, 2012, and 2013, the rankings were 8.1, 6.6, and 9.3 respectively, and during that period, we had record returns of fall Chinook. Each season over Bonneville Dam saw close to 1 million fish. We’re hopeful that this trend will continue, bringing us stronger returns of Salmon & Steelhead in the future.