Tag: clearwater river Steelhead fishing

We had a great day Idaho’s Clearwater River yesterday chasing big beautiful B-Run Steelhead.  The river is in prime shape and fishing is good. December and January are two of our most favorite months of the year to fish the Clearwater as the fish have gone into their “winter” mode and are holding in predictable places.  Looking back over the years my boat has had more double digit days during the months of December and January than any other time during our Steelhead season.  All our fish yesterday were caught side drifting eggs and yarn combinations.

During the cold water months of December, January, and February we focus our fishing on the slow and deep portions of most of the holes we fish. Clearwater Steelhead in the winter are trying to conserve as much energy as possible, and because of this slow presentations in deep holes, the slow edge of the seam water, and long gentle tailouts leads to the most success.  Also this time of year we really prefer to fish bait, such as cured roe, as the added smell and taste of good bait will often wake these fish up.

The other reason we truly love this time of year is the lack of competition from other anglers. Yesterday we saw only 3 other boats fishing and only had one drift boat fishing the 7 mile stretch of river we fished.

We have limited openings next week, and then lots of availability during January.  All our Clearwater trips are done as employees of Reel Time Fishing. Give us a call or text at 208-861-0654 to check availability. All final booking is done through Reel Time Fishing.