Tag: Idaho Steelhead Fishing

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Clearwater River Steelhead Report 11/30/20

We took most of last week off for the holiday, but we had boats out a few days. The fishing last week was on the slow side. There were fish to be caught, but it was a grind. I was back on the river Saturday and put a few in the boat, but today things really started to heat up. Today was the best egg bite I have had all month. It was so nice to get into a good batch of fish side drifting.

Below is our weekly steelhead video report. Please make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel while you guys are there, and if you have any questions please make sure you leave us a comment.

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Clearwater River Steelhead Report 10/26/20

This week we had some ups and downs on Idaho’s Clearwater River, but by the end of the week the entire River was fishing fantastic.

The week started out slow, as we had a bunch of rain and river levels quickly rose and water quality suffered. We struggled for a few days but still managed to find some willing fish every day on the water. By the end of the week the water had cleared up and fishing was again going great.

This week we caught fish both drifting bait and single egg imitations, but we did most of our damage late in the week backtrolling plugs and diver and shrimp. Friday and Saturday we found fish in most tail outs we fished, and the key was to cover a lot of water to find pods of fish that were grouped together. Some water was empty and some was loaded!

This week we are looking at some great fishing conditions. The water was high last week, but because of cold temps over the weekend the River has stabilized. Water temperatures will also stabilize this week as we should see some fab weather by Wednesday.

All in all the River looks to be setting up for a fantastic November. We have quite a few open dates in November and with the help of a great teammate, Barry Howard, we are able to run multiple boats every day. Get in touch with us now and let’s get your November and December trips lined up.

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Opening Day on Idaho’s Clearwater River

Today, October 15th 2020 was the traditional opening day of Idaho’s catch and keep season on the Clearwater River. Today is a much anticipated day and signals a changing of the season for us. From today through March our focus on the Clearwater is Steelhead! B Run Steelhead are amazing fish.

We had a fantastic day today despite some challenging conditions. Over the last week the Clearwater region has received quite a lot rain, and for the past few days the army corps has been messing with the flows out of Dworshak Reservoir. This caused some early season high water conditions and we started out our day with flows well over 10,000 Cubic Feet/ Second. This is double the flow we normally see this time of year.

Lucky for us we have been guiding on Idaho’s Clearwater for the past 13 years and we relied on that experience to come up with a winning game plan. Our key to success today was backtrolling Yakima bait Maglips. When the water is up or rising on the Clearwater our steelhead kick their migration into hyperdrive and use the higher flows to cover some river miles. This makes the slow presentation of a backtrolled plug your best bet to consistently put fish in the boat under these conditions.

The Clearwater will most likely be a backtrolling game for the next few days, but as the water comes back to normal levels the side drifting bite should be fantastic.

We have two boats operating on the Clearwater and currently we have open dates, so if your interested in some big Idaho Steelhead make sure to give our office a call and Dani will get your trip all set up.

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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!

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Snake River Steelhead

We had a fantastic day in the sun today on the lower end of Hell’s Canyon fishing out of Heller Bar. We ended up putting 8 fish In the net for our two anglers today. The Snake River currently has quite a few fish in it and the fishing is good. We did very well today side drifting eggs and yarn and egg combinations. The water was low today so we fished very light lead and really pounded the slow pocket water near the bank. The water temperature was around 37 which puts these fish in the slower water near the bank. We have open boats next week and will be fishing the Snake through the 15th of February so if you are interested in booking a day get in touch with us.

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Clearwater River Steelhead!

Check out this awesome fish from our day today on Idaho’s Clearwater River!  It’s great to see some fish looking like this late in the season. Overall our day was a little slower today, but we found a few of these beauties to play with. All our Clearwater trips are done as employees of Reel Time Fishing. We have plenty of open dates over the next few weeks and it’s looking to be a great February!  Click here for more Clearwater Fishing Information!

If you don’t have a chance to Steelhead fish with us make sure to catch up with us for a Walleye or Spring ChinookTrip!  It’s looking like a good year for both and we will be there to help get you on fish.  83991CC1-6E51-4053-8381-5B1028317A06

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Clearwater River Steelhead Report

Idaho’s Clearwater River has been fishing fantastic this past week with our boats averaging 7-15 fish landed per day. We have been getting all our fish side drifting both eggs and yarn combinations, and pegged beads. It’s really looking like fishing is going to remain good all winter and we have lots of open dates the rest of the month of January and the Month of February. This is the time of year we experience our most consistent fishing and highest catch rates.  Check out the video below of this weekends crew having a blast catching B-Run Steelhead on Idaho’s Clearwater River.  All our Clearwater trips are done as employees of Idaho Outfitter Reel Time Fishing. For more information on our Clearwater River Fishing trips click Here.

 

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Clearwater River Steelhead Fishing Report

Clearwater River Steelhead

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. img_0716 img_0750 img_0754

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Clearwater River Idaho Steelhead Fishing Report

Clearwater River Steelhead

Fishing on Idaho’s Clearwater River has been very good over the past week.  The Reel Time Fishing Crew has again been averaging 6-10 Steelhead boated per day, and double digit hookups most days. As usual we are picking up most of our fish side drifting eggs and yarn combinations, but we have also been doing well backtrolling plugs such as the Maglip 3.5 by Yakima Bait Company.

One of the keys to success in my boat over the past week is having a few different flavors of eggs on the boat during the day. My best producing added scents have been Anis/Krill Super Dipping Sauce and the Anis Super Dipping Sauce. I have been adding a few table spoons to my eggs as part of the curing process with great results.

I currently have some openings to fish the Clearwater in my boat starting the week of the 14th, and lots of open December days. The Clearwater is a great winter time fishery and our best months for consistent fish catching are December, January, and February.  All of my Clearwater trips are done as an employee of Reel Time Fishing  Give me a call at 208-861-0654 to check on availability, and I will also help you through the booking process with Reel Time Fishing