The Salmon River in the Salmon area is a little off-color, around 20 inches visibility. Nights with freezing temperature are helping the river clear a bit, after the mud and high flow of two weeks ago. River temperature has been reaching low 40s in the afternoon. The Red Bluff boat launch has been cleared of […]
The Salmon River near Salmon is clearing, after the heavy run-off last weekend. Visibility is about 10 inches–not what I would care to fish, but a favorable trend. River temperature at mid day was 44 degrees.
My son-in-law and I took a drive to the Pahsimeroi Valley last month, and spotted this herd of elk in a field. A rough count was 375, cows, calves, and a few spikes. Across the Pahsimeroi river was a small bull herd, about 15 animals, all bulls, from mature to spikes. Forty years ago, I […]
The Deadwater ice jam just below North Fork has broken out. This annual event is a landmark, signals the beginning of the spring steelhead fishing season in the Salmon area. This year, though, not so much. Winter fishing was very good in the Salmon area, with little ice. The warm weather of the last […]
Warm overnight temperatures have started snow melting off the valley floor in the Salmon valley, and the Salmon River has turned tan. Steelhead fishing had been very good through the winter, but until the river clears, fishing is a waste of time. Freezing nights will help, but until the low snow melts, the river is […]
The Salmon River near Salmon was ice-free again today. The upper end of the Deadwater ice jam this year was several miles below the usual location–between Tower Creek and Red Bluff instead of between Carmen and Tower Creek. The Tower Creek launch ramp is open, as well as Carmen and the new, temporary, ramp […]
This has been an exceptional winter steelhead season in the Salmon area. The river has been ice-free most of the winter, outside of a couple of cold snaps. Most winters fishing is restricted by floating slush as well as long sections of the river completely frozen over. The river was open and fishable today […]
The Salmon River near Salmon remains free of floating slush ice this week. The sub-zero temperatures of Christmas week produced a lot of ice, but warmer temperatures cleared the river. The 7-day forecast suggests that the river will remain clear. However there have been several days of overcast and fog recently, so steelhead fishing hasn’t […]
Snow fell all day on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning, there was 4-5 inches of fresh snow at our house–a welcome Christmas bonus. Basin-wide per cent of average for the date is about 120%. The north side of the basin apparently has more snow than the south side. The upper Middle Fork drainage seems to […]
The Salmon River near Salmon remains ice-free, and steelhead fishermen are still on the river. Today the river temperature is in the upper 30s. Yesterday it was 40 degrees at mid-day. Clarity is off a bit. Right now I would consider it fishable, but if the river got much darker I probably wouldn’t bother to […]
Dates and rates for 2015 are updated on the web site. Dates on the Middle Fork and Main Salmon are the same, except in September, because dates are assigned to us by the Forest Service. On the Lower Salmon, we can control our dates, and I align them with days of the week. Some rates […]
With recent moderate weather, the Salmon River has not been carrying slush ice in the Salmon area in recent days. In general, if the overnight low is above 20 degrees, there won’t be ice flowing. Based on that and the forecast, this week should be ice-free. Steelhead fishermen are picking up some fish. There aren’t […]
Dates for whitewater rafting trips on the Middle Fork of the Salmon during the summer are fixed, but post-season dates, after 3 September, change each year. In 2015, we have a launch date on 17 September. By that time, passengers will fly in to begin the trip, at Indian Creek, or another air strip along […]
Over the weekend, the water conditions were good, and the river was busy. Good fishermen who knew the water did pretty well–others, not so much. There was rain and wind overnight and today, not a pleasant day to be out. The river is a little off below the Lemhi at mid-day, temperature 41 degrees.
Today a friend was out for most of the day with a fly rod, hooked four steelhead and landed two of them. Water clarity isn’t perfect, but improving. Visibility was about 20 inches at the end of the day, when the valley melt had peaked. A ways upstream from Salmon, clarity is better. River temperature […]
The Salmon River near Salmon is beginning to clear. At mid-day today visibility above Salmon , above the Lemhi River, was 18 or 20 inches. Downstream below the Lemhi it was about a foot. Temperature was 39 degrees. Morning air temperature was low 20s, so melt slowed. One of my steelhead guides was out this […]
River conditions in the Salmon area are improving a little. Downstream of Salmon, below the Lemhi River, it still isn’t good. I could just barely, sort of, make out a rock at 10 inches at mid-day today. Upstream of Salmon, visibility was 15 inches, looked like it was pretty close to fishable. Temperature was 42 […]
This morning the Salmon River near Salmon was 40 degrees. A bright pop can disappeared at 9 inches of depth.
The Salmon River near Salmon had about 6 inches visibility at mid-morning, river temperature about 37 degrees. Sky is clear, so by late afternoon river temperature will probably exceed 40 degrees. Air temperature this morning was mid-20s, so overnight runoff was stopped, but as the day warms, snowmelt will resume. The river would take a […]
This morning the Deadwater ice jam downstream from North Fork went out. The river is 38 degrees at mid-day, visibility 10-12 inches max downstream from the Lemhi. Lots of low snow to melt yet.
