Upper Salmon River Weekly Steelhead Fishing Report 4.18.23
By angelamontana

Posted: April 18, 2023

Steelhead fishing on the upper Salmon River continued to shift upstream during the past week. The majority of anglers were interviewed either near the Pahsimeroi River confluence in location code 17 or upstream of the East Fork in location code 19. Angler effort downstream of Salmon, ID in location codes 15 and 16 was minimal. Anglers interviewed downstream of the Pahsimeroi River in location code 17 averaged 15 hours per steelhead caught, and anglers interviewed downstream of the East Fork in location code 18 averaged 95 hours per steelhead caught. Anglers interviewed upstream of the East Fork in location code 19 had the best average catch rate for the week at 10 hours per steelhead caught.

River flows increased early in the week as warmer temperatures melted mid-elevation snow throughout the drainage. Cooler temperatures later in the week allowed river flows to drop and the visibility to improve over the weekend. On Sunday, the river had clear visibility upstream of the East Fork and cloudy visibility in all areas downstream of the East Fork. Mid-day water temperatures ranged from the mid-40s near Stanley to the upper 40s below North Fork. Currently, the Salmon River is flowing at 1,190 CFS through the town of Salmon, ID which is 69 percent of average for today’s date.

As of Monday, April 17th the Pahsimeroi Hatchery has trapped 1,733 adipose-clipped steelhead, and the Sawtooth Hatchery has trapped 283 adipose-clipped steelhead.

Brent Beller | Fisheries Biologist 1 | Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission | Idaho Department of Fish and Game – Region 7 | Salmon, ID 83467 | (208) 756-2271
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