Clearwater Region Fishing Information

Fall/Winter Fishing Report Please see General Regional Information - Fall 2009 below. Weekly reports will return in the spring. Check out our Family Fishing Waters section with family-oriented fishing opportunities and simplified rules. Anglers must have a valid 2009 license and are reminded to check the fishing rules brochure for any restrictions and limits.

General Regional Information - Fall 2009

For many steelhead anglers, fall is the time to go fishing and the Clearwater Region is the place to do it. Fall fish are fresh from the ocean and are in peak condition. The Snake, Salmon, and the Clearwater rivers all provide excellent fishing.

The diversity of fishing opportunities is also outstanding, ranging from urban fishing in downtown Lewiston to a backcountry float trip through the heart of the Salmon River Canyon. By mid October, steelhead are distributed throughout the region, and anglers can expect to find good fishing in the Clearwater River upstream to Kooskia, the Snake upstream to Hell's Canyon Dam, and throughout the Salmon River.

Although all Idaho steelhead are summer run fish (which means they leave the ocean in the late summer), most of these fish arrive in Idaho in the early fall. These fish will then spend the fall and winter in the Snake, Salmon and Clearwater Rivers, and spawn the following spring.

Fish managers have broadly grouped Idaho steelhead into two run types, termed A-run, and B-run. A-run steelhead originate mainly from the Snake and Salmon Rivers and typically spend one year in the ocean, returning as 5 to 8 pound adults. B-run fish originate mostly from the Clearwater River, and typically spend two years in the ocean, returning as 10 to 20 pound adults.

The 2009 steelhead run will be an outstanding one, with up to 300,000 fish predicted to cross Lower Granite Dam this fall. This number would double the ten year average run. The only downside is that even though the number of A-run steelhead returning to the Snake and Salmon rivers is at an all time high, the B-run fish appear to be a bit below the last few years' average.

Catch and release steelhead fishing opened on the Clearwater July 1, and opened August 1 in the remainder of the state. The Clearwater River below the Memorial Bridge at Lewiston opened for harvest on August 1, but the remainder of the Clearwater remains catch and release until October 15. Harvest season on the Snake and Salmon Rivers open September 1.

Because of the very large A-run this year, the daily bag limit for steelhead this fall and next spring has been raised to 5, (with the stipulation that only 3 can be greater than 32 inches) on the Snake, Salmon and Little Salmon rivers. The reason for the 32 inch rule is that most B-run steelhead are longer than 32 inches. On the Clearwater, the limit will remain unchanged at 2 per day in the fall season, and 3 per day for the spring season, starting on January 1, 2010. The statewide season limit has also been raised to 40 fish for the fall 2009 season, with the stipulation that only 20 of those fish can come from the Clearwater.

Before you go, take a look at the steelhead regulations and especially remember the "Big Three":

• Pinch your barbs down on all hooks you use
• Immediately release any steelhead you catch with an unclipped adipose fin
• Immediately validate your steelhead permit upon retaining a legal steelhead.

Anglers fishing on the Snake have another opportunity to harvest a tasty fish through October 31 this year. For the second year in a row, Idaho Fish and Game opened a fall Chinook salmon season on the Snake River, beginning on September 1.

The season is slated to run through October 31 and includes the Snake River from the Washington/Idaho state line at Lewiston upstream to Hells Canyon Dam. The bag limit is one adipose clipped Chinook per day, including jacks. Anglers must have a valid Idaho salmon permit in possession to participate in the fishery. Please check the fall chinook season regulations pamphlet for more details and stay informed as the season could close earlier than October 31.

In addition to fall Chinook, Coho salmon may also be encountered by steelhead anglers. It is important for anglers to be able to identify their catch, as Coho salmon are closed to harvest. Some Coho are also adipose fin clipped, which can make it even more confusing. Chinook and coho salmon both have black mouths, while steelhead have white mouths. Coho can be differentiated from chinook by the gumline. Coho have a white gumline, while the chinook's gumline is black.

Fall is a great time to fish our lowland lakes in the region, all of which receive generous fall plants of catchable rainbow trout. Algae and aquatic weeds are less of a problem in the fall.

Below is a list of regional waters and some the fish you might expect to encounter at each:

• Deer Creek Reservoir - Near Pierce, Idaho. Good populations of rainbow trout and a few cutthroat trout. It is the state's newest fishing water. Deer Creek Reservoir is open all year to fishing, but because of wildlife related road restrictions, the access road will be open to motorized vehicles May 20-September 30 annually. Outside of those dates, anglers and other lake users will need to make a hike of about half a mile to reach the lake.
• Elk Creek Reservoir - Near Elk River, Idaho. Good populations of largemouth and smallmouth bass, bluegill, and stocked rainbow trout.
• Mann Lake - Near Lewiston, Idaho. Mann Lake is an irrigation reservoir and is usually drawn down in the late summer, but fishing can still be good. Good populations of largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, and stocked rainbow trout.
• Moose Creek Reservoir - Near Bovill, Idaho. Good populations of largemouth bass, bluegill, and stocked rainbow trout.
• Soldier's Meadow Reservoir - 20 miles south of Lewiston. Soldier's Meadow is an irrigation reservoir and is usually drawn down in late summer. Good populations of black crappie and stocked rainbow trout.
• Spring Valley Reservoir - Near Troy, Idaho. Good populations of largemouth bass, bluegill, and stocked rainbow trout.
• Tolo Lake - Near Grangeville, Idaho. IIt is a fairly turbid natural lake but has been stocked with white crappie, largemouth bass, bluegill, and channel catfish.
• Waha Lake - South of Lewiston, Idaho. Waha is a natural lake and has fair populations of smallmouth bass and stocked rainbow trout.
• Winchester Lake - Near Winchester, Idaho. . It has excellent populations of largemouth bass, bluegill, black crappie, yellow perch, channel catfish, tiger muskie, and stocked rainbow trout. Visitors to Winchester Lake will notice numerous floating structures on the lake. These are part of an experimental project to improve water quality and fishing by oxygenating the deeper portions of the lake.
• Dworshak Reservoir - Near Orofino, Idaho. usually down at minimum pool in the fall (about 80 feet down) as federal fish managers tap the reservoir's cool water in the summer to help juvenile salmon migrate to the ocean and make room for flood control for the next year's runoff.
  
  Boat ramps at Canyon Creek and Grandad are unusable at these low lake levels during the fall, but boaters can still launch at Bruce's Eddy, Dent, and Dworshak State Park. The low water levels can also make access to campsites more difficult.
  
  Although most of Dworshak Reservoir is open to fishing year around, the reservoir above Grandad Bridge is only open to fishing from the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend until November 30. The trout limit in this part of the reservoir is 6 per day, but only 2 of those can be cutthroat. Kokanee fishing is usually slow in the fall, but trout and smallmouth bass fishing can be very good. Anglers may also incidentally catch a bull trout and are reminded that they are closed to harvest. The IDFG fishing regulation pamphlet has a good fish identification key on pages 16-19.
  
  Idaho Fish and Game and the Army Corps of Engineers initiated a nutrient enhancement program in the spring of 2007 on Dworshak Reservoir. This project essentially involves adding specific nutrients (usually nitrogen) in specific doses to bring the overall nutrient levels in the lake into balance, and promises to improve water quality and fish growth. Several treatments were conducted throughout this past summer and results indicated an increase in desirable plankton, as well as increased kokanee growth. IDFG will be monitoring the progress of the treatments as this program progresses.

Fall is also a great time to find yourself wading in one of the region's top cutthroat trout waters - the Lochsa, Selway, and North Fork Clearwater rivers. Excellent populations of native westslope cutthroat trout live in these rivers, as well as most of their tributaries. Most of the summer crowds are gone, and the fish are very active as they feed heavily before winter. To protect these outstanding fisheries, most of these rivers have harvest and gear restrictions on them, so be sure to check the regulations before you go.

The Snake and lower Salmon rivers both have excellent smallmouth bass populations and fall is a great time to catch them. Smallmouths usually average about 10 to 12-inches in these waters, but many fish up to five pounds are caught every year.

Both the Snake and lower Salmon rivers offer one of the most unique freshwater fishing experiences you can have anywhere: fishing for white sturgeon. Sturgeon can be caught all year and they are especially active in the fall.

The Clearwater Region has one of the strongest populations of white sturgeon in Idaho in the 105 miles of free-flowing Snake River from Lewiston upstream to Hell's Canyon Dam. The most recent studies there estimated that there are from 3 to 6,000 sturgeon between 2 and 11-feet long in this area. Over half of the fish are less than three feet long, indicating that there is good reproduction in this stretch. Smaller numbers of sturgeon are found in the lower Salmon River.

White sturgeon can live to be over 80 years old and grow very slowly. Because of this, since 1970 the sturgeon fishery has been managed under a strict catch and release regulation. Any sturgeon caught may not be removed from the water and must be released immediately unharmed. Barbless hooks are also required when fishing for sturgeon.

Sturgeon angling continues to grow in popularity every year. As the number of anglers increases, so does the importance of each of us minimizing our impact to both the fish and to their environment. This includes using the right gear, rigged properly, in order to leave the river at least as well off as we found it. And just as importantly, we need to make sure we are treating hooked fish properly to insure their survival.

So when you get a chance to try your hand at this exciting sport, please use the following guide to ensure you are practicing "low-impact" sturgeon fishing and treating these ancient fish with the respect they deserve:

Hook 'Em Right: (Keep the fish from swallowing the hook)

• Use non-offset circle hooks-sizes 7/0 to 13/0. Non-offset circle hooks offer three big advantages over traditional J-hooks for sturgeon fishing:
• Fish are almost never hooked deeply with non-offset circle hooks because their unique shape rarely lets the hook point imbed until it catches on the corner of the fish's mouth.
• Once solidly hooked, fish rarely become unhooked.
• Circle hooks are much less likely to snag on rocky river bottoms.
• Circle hooks are very different than J-hooks and require an angler to employ a few different techniques for them to work properly:
• First, make sure the hook point is exposed and not covered up with the bait.
• Second, when a fish starts to bite, let it mouth the bait a few seconds longer than you would with a J-hook.
• Lastly, don't set the hook. Instead, simply start reeling until you come tight on the fish. The hook will catch on the corner of the mouth as you smoothly tighten the line.
• For those not yet ready to make the switch to circle hooks, remember that when using a regular "J" hook, it is especially critical to stay attentive to the rod and hook the fish quickly before it has a chance to swallow the bait.
• Pinch the Barb - (It's the law!). Pinch the barb down on your hook to ease hook removal and minimize the damage to a sturgeon's fleshy mouth.
• Rig it right. Tie your sinker to a dropper line on a sliding device, using at least ten pound test lighter line than your main line. This will minimize the chances of leaving a baited hook snagged to the bottom if you break off. We are finding an alarming number of dead or emaciated fish with broken off fishing gear in them. We all need to do our part to keep hooks from accumulating in these old fish.

Play 'Em Fast: (Avoid overstressing the fish during the fight)

• 50 lb test monofilament lines or 130 lb test superbraid line should be considered the minimum size to use. Monofilament has advantages in that it has higher abrasion resistance and its stretch makes it much more forgiving when fighting large fish.
• Use heavy gear properly sized to fight powerful fish weighing up to 400 pounds and land the fish as quickly as possible. Lactic acid can build up in the fish's muscles during long fights. A good sturgeon reel needs to be very well built, have a very smooth drag, and hold at least 250 yards of the proper line.
• Choose your fishing spot carefully. Be realistic about the chances of landing a large sturgeon when choosing a fishing hole, especially when fishing without a boat. Ask yourself if you will be able to follow the fish if it leaves the hole. Try to avoid having to tell the story of being spooled, leaving 200 yards or more of expensive line hooked to a fish.

Release 'Em Easy: (Ensure the fish will survive to fight another day)

• Keep the fish in the water - (It's the law!). Do not pull the fish up on the shore for a photo. Pulling the fish on the rocks will remove the fish's layer of protective mucous and often will open cuts in the fish's skin, which can lead the way to an infection. The best way to get a great sturgeon photo is to get in the water with the fish. In cold weather, this usually means having some waders handy. Keep water flowing over the gills at all times when removing the hook or snapping a picture.
• Don't tie the fish by the tail. A tail-roped fish can easily be injured, especially if it starts thrashing.
• Revive a played-out fish by holding its mouth open in the current so water flows over its gills until it wants to swim away. A tired sturgeon will almost always remain calm when you hold them by the mouth upside down in the water. Keep your hands out of their gills at all times.