Steelhead angler effort along the upper Salmon River increased during the previous week but remained light overall. The majority of anglers were once again observed fishing between the towns of Salmon and Challis, while effort upstream of Challis and downstream of North Fork was low. No anglers interviewed downstream of North Fork in location codes 14 and 15 reported catching a steelhead. Anglers interviewed upstream of North Fork in location code 16 averaged 14 hours per steelhead caught, and anglers interviewed upstream of the Lemhi River in location code 17 averaged 12 hours per steelhead caught. Additionally, no anglers interviewed upstream of the Pahsimeroi River in location codes 18 and 19 reported catching a steelhead.
As of Monday, March 7th the Deadwater ice jam is still in place, but the ice has receded to just downstream of the Deadwater boat ramp. Once the ice jam fully opens up we will issue a report to inform anglers of water and boat ramp conditions.
River conditions varied throughout the week depending on location. Over the weekend, the river had muddy visibility downstream of Deadwater in location codes 14 and 15, and water temperatures were in the low to mid 30s. In location codes 16, 17, and 18 the river had 2-3 feet of visibility, and water temperatures were in the mid to upper 30s. Upstream of the East Fork in location code 19 the river had clear visibility and water temperatures were in the low to mid 30s. Currently the Salmon River is flowing at 1,000 cfs through the town of Salmon, ID which is 92% of average for today’s date.
We would like to continue to inform anglers that the Idaho Fish and Game Commission changed the steelhead daily bag limit for the spring 2022 steelhead season on the Salmon, Little Salmon, and Snake rivers to 2 fish per day, 6 in possession. These changes went into effect on January 1 and only apply to the to the 2022 spring steelhead season.
Brent Beller | Idaho Fish and Game
