Steelhead angler effort remained high along the Upper Salmon River last week, especially over the weekend. The majority of angler effort was once again located downstream of North Fork in location code 15, and we also observed an increase in angler effort upstream of the Lemhi River in location code 17.

Average catch rates were the best observed so far this season with all monitored areas under 15 hours per steelhead caught. Anglers interviewed downstream of the Middle Fork Salmon River in location code 14 averaged 12 hours per steelhead caught, and anglers interviewed downstream of North Fork in location code 15 averaged 14 hours per steelhead caught. Anglers interviewed downstream of the Lemhi River in location code 16 averaged 13 hours per steelhead caught, and anglers interviewed upstream of the Lemhi River in location code 17 averaged 5 hours per steelhead caught.

River conditions remained stable throughout last week, and on Sunday, the river had clear visibility with water temperatures in the low-40s. The Salmon River is currently flowing at 1,100 cfs through the town of Salmon, ID which is 83 percent of average for today’s date.