During the past week, steelhead angler effort on the upper Salmon River was similar to what was observed two weeks ago. The majority of anglers were found downstream of North Fork in location codes 14 and 15 while angler effort upstream of North Fork remained low for this point in the season. River conditions and catch rates both improved throughout the week. Anglers interviewed downstream of the Middle Fork Salmon River in location code 14 averaged 47 hours per steelhead caught, and anglers interviewed upstream of the Middle Fork in location code 15 averaged 128 hours per steelhead caught. Anglers interviewed upstream of North Fork in location code 16 averaged 49 hours per steelhead caught, and no anglers interviewed upstream of the Lemhi River in location code 17 reported catching a steelhead.
River conditions continued to improve gradually throughout the week, and by Sunday afternoon, the river had approximately 4 feet of visibility with water temperatures in the mid-40s. Water temperatures dropped even more Sunday night and are currently in the low 40s. Additionally, the Salmon River is flowing at 1,150 cfs through the town of Salmon, ID which is 87% of average for today’s date. For a more detailed explanation of the cloudy water conditions the upper Salmon River has been experiencing this fall, anglers are encouraged to read this recent blog post on the IDFG website.
We would also like to remind anglers that the steelhead bag limits for the fall 2021 steelhead fishery are 1 steelhead per day and 3 in possession. For additional information anglers can visit the IDFG Steelhead Seasons and Rules webpage.
Brent Beller | Idaho Fish & Game
