Steelhead angler effort on the upper Salmon River noticeably increased over the past week. Most bank anglers were interviewed downstream of North Fork while boat anglers were more commonly encountered upstream of Deadwater. Angler effort upstream of Salmon, ID in location code 17 remained low. Additionally, effort during the weekdays was higher than the weekend. This was mainly due to cold and windy weather that moved into the area on Saturday.
Catch rates downstream of North Fork improved slightly compared to last week’s report. Anglers interviewed in location code 14 averaged 28 hours per steelhead caught, and anglers interviewed in location code 15 averaged 37 hours per steelhead caught. The fishing upstream of North Fork in location codes 16 and 17 was more challenging. Anglers interviewed in location code 16 reported releasing one steelhead and averaged 238 hours per steelhead caught. Upstream of the Lemhi River in location code 17, only three angler interviews were obtained. These anglers reported releasing one steelhead and averaged 12 hours per steelhead caught.
River conditions remained great throughout the week. On Sunday the river’s visibility was clear and water temperatures were in the low 40s. Currently the Salmon River near Owl Creek is flowing at 1,920 cfs which is 96% of average for today’s date.
report by Brett Beller/Idaho Fish & Game
