Is January the “Best” Month for Clearwater Steelhead?

Clearwater Steelhead

January on Idaho’s Clearwater River is without a doubt the most overlooked month of the year when it comes to catching great numbers of B-Run Steelhead. Over the years we have consistently had our all our top days for the season during January.

Lots of fish in the system, consistent and often times warming water temperatures, holding fish, and generally lower pressure are a few of the reasons the month of January has been our most consistent fish catching month. Despite the sometimes challenging weather conditions January is typically much more mild on the Clearwater then the surrounding areas. We often see high’s in the lower 40’s and some years we see weather warmer than that. Combine warmer temperatures (than December) and generally better water conditions from low level snow melt, and we get a winning combination for fish catching.

If you are looking for a mid winter fishing trip, and are looking for some of the best fishing of the year, make sure to give us a call and lets get you out on one of our boats. Chances are after experiencing the Clearwater in January you will come back for more.

During this time of year we will often use multiple techniques to put you on fish. Plugging, side drifting, and bobber dogging all get the nod depending on what river conditions are doing and which method has been producing the best. Yes, the weather can be cold, and we understand that when the snow is falling fishing is not on the front of most folks minds, but we think the Clearwater is just the thing to cure that cabin fever, and make some lasting memories. So, bundle up, head out and jump in a boat, you wont regret it!

Check out the video below and make sure to give us a call to get in on this awesome fishery!

Clearwater Fall Steelhead Update

While we are currently in the last few days of our Columbia River Fall Chinook season, but we can’t help be excited for our upcoming steelhead season. Steelhead on Idaho’s Clearwater is our bread and butter, the reason we call Clearwater Country home, and our absolute favorite time of year.

October 1st is the unofficial kickoff for us on the Clearwater. Idaho’s Clearwater is catch and release only for steelhead through October 15th so the first few weeks of October will see us focusing Fall Chinook, Coho, and Catch and Release Steelhead. This two week period is one of our absolute favorites of the year and the catch rates can be incredible, and the crowds can be lite.

While much has been published this year about the plight of steelhead migrating up the Columbia, it’s not all doom and gloom. Counts of B Run Steelhead crossing Bonneville Dam have only been slightly lower than last year, and if you were paying attention last year we had a great season on the Clearwater.

With numbers similar or slightly lower than last year we will definitely be fishing steelhead on Idaho’s Clearwater. While we may have to wait and see what our limits might end up being, the fact remains that we will be fishing, and really if you feel like you have to kill a steelhead to enjoy this fishery, then we really feel you are missing the point. These big Steelhead are absolutely incredible, and a picture will last a lot longer then a few fillets in the freezer.

Our favorite time of year is approaching, and we are booking fast, so if your interested in a Steelhead trip with us make sure to give us a call at 208-669-1569 and let’s get your trips planned.

Clearwater Steelhead Update

With a shot of cold weather settling in on Idaho’s Clearwater we decided to reschedule some of our trips over the next few days in an effort to make sure our customers have an enjoyable experience on the water. Single digit lows, and highs barely reaching the 20 degree mark make everything about steelhead fishing difficult, and puts unnecessary stress on our equipment. I know this first hand as a few years ago I launched the boat at three degrees, froze up a coolant line, and subsequently overheated my motor, causing the number one cylinder to blow into a bunch of little pieces. It was a 20k mistake, and stark reminder that sometimes it’s better to just stay home, then push back on Mother Nature.

The fishing on Idaho’s Clearwater has been a lot like steelhead fishing over the past few weeks. One day we will go out and land 6 or 7 and the next we might be struggling to put fish in the boat, but it’s the challenge that steelhead fishing presents that makes it so enjoyable.

Over the past month we have been spending most of our time and energy side drifting bait, and beads, as this is one of the most enjoyable ways to catch steelhead, and let’s our customers be the main participant, but as the latest cold front started to move in Barry and myself decided to stop pounding our heads against the wall and make an adjustment. We dug out the plug rods and decided to slowly pick apart the holes and see if we could force a few fish to bite. The results speak for themselves. The last 3 days the fishing has picked up significantly, and I attribute this to switching things up.

This week was just another reminder that often times switching things up can be a huge difference maker in the number of fish brought to the net. It also made a point clear that as Steelheaders we need to be confident in fishing multiple presentations to consistently put fish in the boat. So, going forward my advice is to keep an open mind, and never keep those plug rods too far out of reach.

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.

Clearwater River Steelhead Fishing Report

We had another good day today on Idaho’s Clearwater River. The water was up today and we had to grind it out but we still went 6-10 and got into some great fish. It’s looking like it will be a great February. This water should calm down by mid week and fishing will be on fire. We still have openings so get in touch with us to book your trips. We work as employees of Reel Time Fishing for all Clearwater trips. For more information on our Clearwater River Steelhead Trips click Here. 

Clearwater River Steelhead Fishing Report

We had another great day on Idaho’s Clearwater River. Today was a little slower but the 2 guys I had still managed to land 4 Steelhead and hook a few others. We had some difficult conditions to fish today with rising water, but still had a great day. We have plenty of openings for February and after this water calms down a bit fishing will again be fantastic. All our Clearwater trips are done as employees of Reel Time Fishing.

Hell’s Canyon Steelhead Fishing!

Snake River Steelhead

We are continuing to see great fishing in the lower end of Hell’s Canyon on the Snake River near Heller Bar. It’s been great to see all the keepers around too. Yesterday was awesome, nice Steelhead, no crowds, and 58 degrees in January!  We have a few openings over the next few weeks if you want to get out!  Click Here for more information on our Snake River Steelhead adventures.

Snake River Keeps Kicking out Steelhead

Snake River Steelhead

We had another great day fishing the Snake River out of Heller Bar. We ended our day 9-11 and kept 5 nice fish. Fishing the Snake for Steelhead continues to be a great option and we really think it’s going to fish great well into February!  Again today our key was fishing coon shrimp in our concoction. This mix just keeps on kicking out fish!  We have openings over the next few weeks so get in on this while the getting is good!  Ohh and did I mention that we had the river all to ourselves?!

Idaho’s Clearwater is Fishing Great!

This past week has been nothing short of fantastic on Idaho’s Clearwater River.  We had a great week of fishing and my boat landed 19 Steelhead on Thursday alone. All our fish are coming sidedrifting eggs and beads. It is shaping up to be a great February. We have lots of openings over the next few weeks. Get in touch with us to get your Clearwater Steelhead Trips Booked!  For all Clearwater dates we fish as employees of Reel Time Fishing.  For more info on our Clearwater River Steelhead click here

We will be fishing the Clearwater through February before we head East in search of Walleye on the Columbia River. Click Here  for more information

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