The recent flooding that hit the Salmon River is bad for fishing in the immediate future but this is exactly what the steelhead need to get them charging up-river toward their spawning grounds.

After a long fishless day on the Clearwater River near Kooskia throwing everything I had at steelhead I knew were there but wouldn’t bite, I decided to take a chance and drove to the Salmon River yesterday (Saturday Feb 7) and found thick chocolate waters carrying massive ice chunks down river at a pretty fast clip.
The ice flow that has been held up at dead water located west of North Fork, Idaho is gone. That will make the river un-fishable for a week or maybe a little more but as the waters begin to lower and clear up the fishing will be at its peak.

With receding warmer waters the steelhead will become more aggressive to hooks no matter what they have attached to them and it will be the best time to fish steelhead.  I expect great fishing conditions within the next two weeks.  Keep checking this website for updates on river conditions and be ready to drop everything and go. When the bite is on don’t wait!
We hope to see you out there.