The Northwest's Premier Outfitter offering guided fishing trips on Idaho's Clearwater and Snake Rivers, American Falls Reservoir, CJ Strike Reservoir, Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir, and the Columbia River in Washington and Oregon.
The days are getting shorter, hunting seasons are open, and temperatures are dropping. This means one of the best times of year to chase sturgeon is upon us. Fall is one of the absolute best times of year to catch sturgeon as they feed heavily to stock up on critical fat reserves that will get them through the cold winter months ahead.
All of our sturgeon fisheries fish great during the Fall. Now is prime time for both our Southern Idaho area’s and Hells Canyon. Fall is also one of the best times of year to add some additional fishing opportunities onto your Sturgeon trip. In Southern Idaho Crappie and Perch fishing can be done on the same day with sturgeon, and in Hells Canyon we can easily do a sturgeon and steelhead combo trip. We can’t think of a better trip then catching world famous Snake River Steelhead in addition to battling huge Sturgeon.
We currently have openings in both Southern Idaho and Hells Canyon, so if you have been thinking of a sturgeon trip with us it’s not too late in the year, and you may end up on one of our best trips of the year.
On Friday Idaho Fish and Game announced that on August 5th, 2022 the State Catch and Release Record had been broken. This amazing fish measuring 10’4” and was caught by Jones Sport Fishing customers Greg and Angie Poulsen who were on board Brett Jones’s boat on CJ Strike Reservoir. This is the second catch and release state record Brett Jones has been a part of. He is also the record holder rainbow trout for a beast of a rainbow caught out of American Falls Reservoir.
This record fish was just icing on the cake for an already incredible day. In addition to landing the record fish Greg and Angie also landed a 9’11”, 9’1”, and multiple other fish over 8 feet.
Brett, who has boated hundreds of sturgeon said this fish was like nothing he had ever seen before, and was just in awe by its overall size. Fish like this one are extremely rare, as this is the only 10 foot plus fish that Jones Sport Fishing has ever landed.
Sturgeon fishing in Idaho is an incredible experience and is a bucket list trip for many. At Jones Sport Fishing we offer sturgeon fishing year round in several locations throughout Idaho. Covering the Snake River in Southern Idaho, as well as the lower end of Hells Canyon. If you are interested you owe it to yourself to give our office a call at 208-669-1569 and Dani will get you all set up and answer any questions you may have.
We have been on the Upper Columbia River fishing Sockeye and Summer Chinook since it opened on July 1st. Fishing has been absolutely amazing, and we are just now starting to see the bulk of the Sockeye run hit the Brewster area.
Due to a later than normal arrival of summer we have been spending most of our time downriver from Brewster in one of our favorite Summer areas near Wells Dam. This area has provided some incredible fishing, but has also lead to a lot of frustration as the high flows are causing some very rough river conditions. Spill from Wells Dam is highly variable, and completely unpredictable, making it necessary on some days to patiently wait for the rollers to subside so we could access the best fishing areas. The upside is that as soon as we have been able to get into the zone we have been in the fish.
We have been having great action on both Summer Chinook and Sockeye pulling 360 flashers and prawn spinners. This set up allows us to very effectively target both species at the same time. If looking for a rundown on how we rig this system up click on the video below.
Summer Chinook and Sockeye Report 7/5/22: Hot tips to catch more fish! https://youtu.be/fDP3Y6-5A4U
As of this writing it is currently 100 degrees and the Brewster Pool will likely be setting up and fishing very well within the next few day. This is when Sockeye mania will start in earnest. We still have a few dates left to fill so if looking to book a trip make sure to get ahold of our office at 208-669-1569 and Dani will help get you booked.
The month of July will find us on the Upper Columbia River chasing summer Chinook and Sockeye. This is such a great opportunity as we have the best limits of the year. 2 adult chinook in addition to 2 sockeye is our daily limit. We often catch both Chinook and Sockeye on these trips, and there is nothing better than salmon fishing in July. Such a great time of year as we ditch the rain gear for shorts and sandals, and get a full day of fishing in before it gets too hot.
We have openings for this fantastic fishing, so don’t hesitate to contact us and let’s get you summer plans all set up.
Sitting here typing this email the Clearwater is definitely blown out, but it gives me a chance to give everyone an update on the awesome fishing we have been experiencing. Over the past month we have been having one of the best Spring Chinook salmon seasons of recent memory. We are filling our boats with both fish and happy customers on a daily basis, and it just so good to be experiencing this fantastic season here at home.
The best part about it all is that this Clearwater Spring Chinook season is far from over. With the awesome number of fish, and high water we are almost definitely looking at another two weeks of salmon fishing here on the Clearwater before we head out for the summer and make our yearly salmon camp on the Upper Columbia.
We are looking to get back out on the Clearwater this Wednesday, and fishing is going to be incredibly good. The best part is we have boats open almost daily for the next two weeks, so if you are interested in getting in on our Spring Chinook season make sure to give our office a call today and let’s get you booked.
Barry has been down in the Columbia gorge since the 20th of April and has been fishing for Spring Chinook on Drano Lake and the Wind River. The fishing started a little slow, but this past week has been nothing short of fantastic. With passage of Spring Chinook over Bonneville looking great, especially considering the dismal returns of the pst few years, this fishery will continue for the at least the next few weeks.
While there are quite a few different ways to rig up for Drano Lake, and Wind River Spring Chinook, Barry has been doing best fishing prawn spinners with 3.5 Colorado blades. For flashers the stand by chrome pro trolls have been getting plenty of work, and have also been the top producers on his boat. For an in depth look at how he rigs his prawn spinners make sure to check out the video link below
Barry has a few seats open this week and through the weekend, so if interested make sure to call our office at 208-669-1569.
Next week we will be kicking off our Clearwater Spring Chinook season in Idaho. We still have quite a few open slots to fill from May 10th – The first week of June (if the season lasts that long). Watch for updates from Idaho’s Springer season over the next month.
Barry is currently down in the Columbia River gorge near Hood River, Oregon fishing Drano Lake, and the Wind River. I was awaken this morning by our first Spring Chinook of the 2022 season!
Barry will be fishing this area for the next 2 1/2 weeks, and it’s such a great opportunity to catch these wonderful fish. It’s amazing how good a spring chinook tastes on the grill, and once you have experienced it you will definitely understand why we crave this fishery so much!
If traveling to the Columbia river gorge is just a little too far that’s ok because our flagship fishery, Idaho’s Clearwater is just about to kick off. We are currently booking dates starting the 15th of May, but if a good push of fish comes up a little early we will be here. The Clearwater Spring Chinook Fishery is our absolute favorite of the year, and is the catalyst that got us into the salmon guiding lifestyle.
We have opening for both Drano Lake, and the Clearwater here in Idaho, so don’t hesitate as this is a fishery that goes very quickly once the fish arrive.
You read that right! We are going to have a Spring Chinook season on the Clearwater in Idaho. Yesterday Idaho fish and game announced the starting date and regulations for our Idaho Spring Chinook seasons. We are extremely excited for this news, as it has been 3 years since we have had any sort of meaningful Spring Chinook Season on the Clearwater.
Spring Chinook will open for fishing 7 DAYS A WEEK!!!!!!! on April 23rd, 2022. We are forecast to have the best return we have seen since 2015. Limits are 4 salmon with only 1 being an adult, and with good ocean conditions this last year we hopefully will also see a bunch of Jack Chinook. You can take a look at IDFG’s press release by clicking the following link. https://idfg.idaho.gov/press/fg-commission-sets-chinook-season-open-april-23-clearwater-snake-and-salmon-rivers
Although fishing will open the end of April, we often don’t see fishable numbers of Chinook in the Lower Clearwater until the 10th of May, and the exact run timing is totally dependent on when fish begin to migrate up the Columbia. At this point we are opening our books 7 days a week to Spring Chinook bookings starting the 15th of May. This season is one that goes very quickly and when fishing gets good it is often not open long. Hopefully we will be fishing through at least the end of May. If it looks like we will have some earlier opportunity based on run counts at Columbia River Dams, we will open up additional dates as necessary. In addition if fishing conditions permit we will also be offering late morning / early afternoon start times in an effort to run a few more trips during this short season.
Spring Chinook are our absolute favorite fish of the year. Their table quality is surpassed by nothing, and Spring on the Clearwater is a great time of the year to be on the water. We hope that you decide to come experience this great opportunity with us.
If you are looking to get out sooner to chase Springers we will also have Barry fishing Drano Lake and the Wind River in the Columbia River Gorge. We will be fishing this area from the last week in April through about the 10th of May, so don’t hesitate to give us a call and lets get a Spring Chinook trip planned for you.
Clearwater River Spring ChinookDrano Lake Spring ChinookSnake River Spring Chinook
Just wanted to take a chance to share with everyone a recent video we uploaded to our YouTube Channel. In this video guide Joe Weisner, one of the fishiest dudes we have ever met, give a quick rundown on how he rigs up for sturgeon on the Snake River in Southern Idaho. Keep in mind we are fishing from boats, and this rigging may or may not work well for bank anglers. We have landed hundreds of fish with this set up, and it works very well for us.
Sitting here today at my dining room table I have to say I’m glad I’m not out on the river. We are in the middle of a late February cold snap and the temperature here at my Deary, Idaho home was a balmy -1 degrees yesterday morning. Today things have warmed up a little, and by the weekend we should be seeing some much more normal temperatures. Saturday the 26th of February will most likely be my last day on the Clearwater for our 2021/2022 season. While we look to close one season, we are looking forward to lots of trips chasing Walleye, Trout, Crappie, Perch, Salmon, and Sturgeon both in Southern Idaho and the Columbia River in Washington and Oregon. I also wanted to take a moment to look at some MAJOR changes coming to our steelhead season on the Clearwater starting this fall.
For the past 30 plus years the Steelhead season on Idaho’s Clearwater River has pretty much remained the same. We have had a very simple to understand season structure where the river was catch and release for steelhead through October 14th with catch and keep season opening on October 15th and running through the entire rest of the season. Starting Fall 2022 everything changes!
For the Fall of 2022 Clearwater anglers will have drastically different regulations then they have been accustomed to. Keep season for Steelhead will now open September 10th and Run through October 14th, then from October 15th through November 10th the Clearwater will be catch and release only for Steelhead. This is a drastic change in how we operate our Fall. October 15th – November 10th has traditionally been our busiest time of year. We are prepared to make the adjustment, and these changes will actually offer some really exciting opportunities!
Clearwater anglers will now have the opportunity to fish for and keep Steelhead early in the year when their table quality is at its peak, and in addition we will be able to very effectively target both Fall Chinook and Steelhead during the same trip. In all honesty for a lot of years it never made sense to me why we could keep steelhead on the Snake, but if we moved into the Clearwater they were off limits.
Like everything in this industry we are constantly having to make adjustments, and we will adjust and hopefully thrive with these new regulations. Will this be frustrating? Will we get tired of answering questions and doing Fish and Game’s job of educating our customer and the public about this regulation change? The answer to these questions is a resounding yes, and all I can hope for is that in three years when regulations are re-visited, that we don’t enter a cycle where a few interest groups are able to convince fisheries managers that regulations should be changed again. This change in steelhead season will have absolutely 0 impact on harvest numbers, and will in fact allow Clearwater anglers the ability to harvest more steelhead bound for other Idaho and other Snake and Salmon River destinations.
Our plan moving forward for 2022 is to bring more of our Fall Chinook business home to the Clearwater where we will be able to target both Fall Chinook and Steelhead. Our Fall Chinook limit will once again be 3 adults and unlimited jacks, combine that with a Steelhead limit of 2 hatchery adults, and the possible addition of 2 Coho and it becomes very obvious that early Fall on Idaho’s Clearwater will be the place to be. I am excited to be able to fish all Fall from home. I always fish better when home every night, and the Elk and Deer in our home units better be ready as my archery season, that I had given up to fish the Hanford Reach, will be fully active again. All in all we are used to constantly changing runs, regulations, and angler preferences, this regulation change will be no different and we will be here excited to show our customers how awesome Idaho’s Clearwater is in early Fall. We hope you will be as excited as we are and willing to embrace some new opportunities!
