Clearwater River Fishing Reports – Page 3

February 12, 2020February 13, 2020

Idaho’s Clearwater is fishing great!

After the recent rains the Clearwater is back in shape and the fish are snappy! We had some great fishing the last two days, and lots of open dates now through the 10th of March. February is one of our favorite months and it’s great to be out on the river as the days are beginning to last a little longer, and the sun finally has a little warmth to it. Idaho’s Clearwater is know for big fish and we have been seeing lots of 15 pound plus fish this season. Now is the time to book if you are looking to get that late winter steelhead trip in on the Clearwater!

February 3, 2020February 3, 2020

February the Best Month for Clearwater River Steelhead?

We often get asked, “what’s the best time to fish Idaho’s Clearwater River?” Often our answer is simply whenever you can get here, but specifically we look at the month of February as one of the absolute best times of the year to fish for the giant B-Run steelhead on the Clearwater.

February is typically when the Clearwater starts to become alive again. With Orofino, Idaho sitting at an elevation of just over 1000 ft spring starts to show in the Clearwater Canyon often long before the surrounding highlands. February also tends to kick off the Spring migration of steelhead that have overwintered both in the Snake and Clearwater Rivers . During the cold water periods of late November, December, and January most of the upstream migration stops and Clearwater steelhead look for deep slow moving water to wait out the cold, but as the water temps start to rise (usually during the last week of January and first two weeks of February) the urge to migrate again takes over. From now through April Idaho’s steelhead will make the final push of their already incredible journey back to their spawning grounds deep in the Selway/Bitterroot wilderness or to the hatchery they were born in.

During February we position ourselves near Orofino, Idaho where the North Fork Clearwater River meets the main stem Clearwater. Dworshak National Fish Hatchery is located here and we are waiting to intercept these fish as they gather near the hatchery of their birth. During February our number one used technique is side drifting bait and single egg imitations. This method allows us to cover lots of water and put our gear in front of lots of willing fish. During February its not uncommon for our boats to see double digit numbers of steelhead slide into the net. So, if you are getting some cabin fever, and ready to hit the water contact us today and lets get you out on a fantastic steelhead fishing adventure on Idaho’s Clearwater River.

To book your next Clearwater River Steelhead trip either give us a call at 208-669-1569 or click on the green Book Online button at the top of your screen. We look forward to spending a day on the water with you!

November 5, 2018

Clearwater River Fishing Report

The rain is here and the water is up. The past week on Idaho’s Clearwater has been a little challenging due to the amount of rain our area say this past week. With that said we were able to fish every day this week and fishing was good overall. Most of our fish were caught in the Orofino area side drifting eggs and pegged beads. With the dirty water it seems like eggs take a slight advantage over the pegged beads, but we still picked up fish using both set ups.

For this week we expect water levels to drop daily, and the fishing should be fantastic. We normally see awesome fishing after a rain event. As the water clears up and the temperature drops look for fish to get into their normal November pattern. We should start to see more fish in the deeper holes, and also look for fish to be well distributed through out the entire river.

Unlike the past few weeks side drifting bait and yarn will be our go to for the foreseeable future. This is our absolute favorite way to catch these awesome Clearwater B-Runs. Big fish on light tackle is a rush.

All our Clearwater trips are done as employees of Reel Time Fishing

October 22, 2018

Clearwater River Steelhead Report

Kyle has now switched gears from Fall Salmon and is now spending all his time fishing Steelhead on the Clearwater and Snake Rivers. Last week was our first full week of steelhead fishing for the year and things have started out great. We fished all week on the Clearwater. Currently the water is very low and clear, so our tactics have changed a little bit from our normal side drifting program. We are still drifting eggs, yarn, and beads, but we have been spending a large portion of our day pulling plugs.

Plug fishing in these conditions allows us to present our gear to the fish before the influence of the boat affects the fish. By setting out the “wall of death” 75 feet below the boat we are able to drop our plugs into every little nook and cranny that these big steelhead like to hide.

Low and clear conditions are also a great time to fish with a float and jig. By positioning the boat above potential steelhead holding water we are able to drop small jigs into fish well before the boat gets there.

Fishing has been decent with most of our fish being caught before lunch. The steelhead action will improve greatly as we get some fall rains and a little more water in the river. With more water we will again go to side drifting as our number one technique, but in the mean time we are having fun hunting these fish with multiple techniques.

We have openings this week and plenty of open boats and seats in November. All of our Clearwater dates are done as employees of Reel Time Fishing so get in touch with us for available dates and we will get your trip all set up. Our office number at 208-669-1569 is the best way to reach us.

June 10, 2018

Clearwater River Spring Chinook Report

Had a great day today on the Clearwater River working for Reel Time Fishing! It’s looking like at least the upper river will be open this next week. Kyle has open boats the 14th, 15th, and 16th this week. Give us a call at 208-669-1569 and let’s get your trip set up.

June 8, 2018

Clearwater Spring Chinook Report

Fishing on Idaho’s Clearwater River continues to be very good. We are seeing lots of great fish. We are getting half our fish on cured eggs in a few different cures, and the other half on tuna wrapped Flatfish. It’s looking like fishing will remain good for a few more weeks so get in touch with us and let’s get your adventure set up!

May 29, 2018

Clearwater River Spring Chinook Report

Had a great day on Idaho’s Clearwater River this past Sunday. The river finally dropped into shape and we put easy limits in the boat! This great action will continue until the season closes. All Clearwater trips are done as employees of Reel Time Fishing

May 20, 2018

Drano Lake Spring Chinook Report

We have been finding a few fish the past few days. Fishing was a little tougher yesterday and today, but we still had plenty of chances and put 3 in the boat each day. All our fish have been coming on pro troll flashers and brads superbaits.

May 8, 2018

Columbia Gorge Spring Chinook

We had a great day in the Columbia gorge today fishing spring Chinook. We landed 4 and had a bunch of other chances. With fishing good and dam counts finally coming up it looks like we will get a good shot at fishing at home on the Clearwater in Idaho. We have openings the 24th, 25th, 25th, and 31st of May and the 1st and 3rd of June. All Clearwater dates are done as employees of Reel Time Fishing, but give our office a call at 208-669-1569 and we will get you all set up.

May 6, 2018

Columbia River Walleye Report

A slow morning of salmon fishing turned out to be a very good day of Walleye Fishing we ended up with 17 today plus a pile of bass. All our fish were caught today fishing bottom bouncers and worm harnesses. Our number one color today was Chartreuse. We have some open dates for Walleye fishing over the next few weeks. Get with us now to secure your dates.