by Brent Beller | Idaho Fish and Game
Hi everyone, this is the Upper Salmon River steelhead fishing report for November 25, 2025, and the data discussed in this report were collected from November 17 through November 23.
Steelhead angler effort along the Upper Salmon River continued to decline last week as we move further into November. Although overall angler effort was lower, there were still plenty of anglers out over the weekend taking advantage of the great fishing conditions. Most anglers continued to fish downstream of Salmon in location codes 15 and 16, but we did observe an increase in effort and catch upstream of Salmon in location code 17.
Catch rates also improved considerably and were the best we have seen so far this fall. Few interviews were obtained from anglers fishing downstream of the Middle Fork Salmon River in location code 14, but those anglers we interviewed averaged 11 hours per steelhead caught. Anglers interviewed downstream of North Fork in location code 15 averaged 12 hours per steelhead caught, and anglers interviewed downstream of the Lemhi River in location code 16 averaged 13 hours per steelhead caught. Anglers interviewed upstream of the Lemhi River in location code 17 had the best average catch rates of the week at 10 hours per steelhead caught.
River conditions were excellent for most of last week, with some of the most stable conditions we have had so far this fall over the weekend. Flows began the week slightly above average but gradually dropped throughout the week with the colder overnight lows we experienced. Similarly, water temperatures started the week in the mid-40s, slowly fell into the low-40s by Friday, and remained in the low-40s through Sunday. As of today, water temperatures are in the upper 30s, and the river has clear visibility in all areas. Additionally, the Salmon River is flowing at 1,240 cfs through Salmon, which is 99% of average for today’s date.
That’s all we have for this week’s update, and we hope that everyone has a great Thanksgiving. Next week will likely be the last full fishing report issued for the fall season since the forecast is calling for colder temperatures once we move into December. If you have questions or would like additional information, please call the Salmon Regional Office at (208) 756-2271.
