The snowpack in the Salmon River basin is a little below average, at 90% this morning, though precipitation since the beginning of the water year on 1 October is above average, at 110%. The fall was so warm that early precipitation was rain rather than snow, so the snowpack was slow to accumulate. Now, we […]
We were honored to spend a week on the Salmon River in August with Outdoor Idaho’s executive producer Bruce Reichert and cameraman Peter Morrill. They were working on a show for Idaho Public Television called “The Outfitters,” and you can see the finished product here. Be sure to watch the entire 26 minutes, it’s an […]
Steelhead fishing is improving in the Salmon area. I expect fish to arrive in the Salmon area between the 15th and 20th of October, but I was losing faith. Fishing has been slow. Today, though, on the 20th, I took a fellow for a half-day, and he got two steelhead, with a third lost. They […]
Fall steelhead fishing season is about to begin in the Salmon area. There have been a few hard-core fishermen on the river, but not many fish stories yet. Arrival of the fall steelhead migration seems to be a little late, but I never expect many fish before the middle of October. Usually during the third […]
Yesterday I had a Salmon River half-day float trip near Salmon, a couple with two little girls in the boat. That section of river does not have whitewater, but is a very scenic float along the cliffs near town. The river is still cold, and the family did not want a couple of drenched little […]
Last week I was on the Lower Salmon section of the Salmon River, with an outfitter/agency group. Enjoying a spring rafting trip on the Salmon River is a perk, though the primary purpose of the trip was to discuss management issues on this section of river, in an on/site setting. Developing better acquaintance with agency […]
Kids Salmon River Whitewater Rafting Trip Now that spring is here, you’re probably like us and getting pretty excited. If you have kids, here’s another to be excited about: we’re running a kid/family-specific trip on our August 15-20 Main Salmon launch. It’s an opportunity for one last family fling before school starts up again, one […]
Steelhead fishing conditions in the Salmon River near Salmon are improving, but still variable from day to day. Today the river was 41 degrees at mid-day, with a little less that two feet of visibility–not crystal clear, but fishable. Snow is mostly gone off the valley floor, including the Lemhi nearly to Gilmore Summit. As […]
Spring steelhead fishing in the Salmon area is getting started. Ice has been pushed from the ramps between North Fork and Salmon. The Fourth of July site, which is not a developed ramp, is usable, but a length of rope to pull a boat up over an ice slab would be a good idea. […]
Snow pack in the Salmon River basin through most of the winter has been 110-120% of average. Based on snow pack, Salmon River level projection for the summer is average or a bit over–welcome after last summer’s low water. While the current snow pack is encouraging, it is not a guarantee. If the weather is […]
Steelhead fishing at Salmon will pick up soon. The head of the ice jam is below North Fork. Deadwater hasn’t broken out yet, but probably will pretty soon. Idaho Fish and Game and Bureau of Land Management expect to push ice out of the launch ramps from Tower to North Fork in the next few […]
Winter steelhead fishing conditions are in full effect in the Salmon area. The Deadwater ice jam backed up to the Diamond Creek area, though the river has cut down through the jam for several miles, creating an ice canyon. Launch ramps from Tower Creek down are plugged with ice. Ramps upstream are usable. The river […]
Salmon River snowpack today (December 31, 2015) is about 130% of average for this date. The fall was dry, but snowfall in the last half of December boosted the Salmon River snowpack to, at one point, 150% of average. Snowpack per cent will spike up during a stormy period, then commonly drop about a per […]
Winter has arrived according to the calendar, and we have winter steelhead fishing conditions in the Salmon area. There have been several periods of slush ice flowing, with intervals of clear water. The ice jam has backed up to between the Tower Creek and Red Bluff boat ramps, then cut back down a ways. There […]
We teamed up with Freedom Alliance this past September on the Lower Salmon. This was a special trip for us. For the full article about the trip: https://freedomalliance.org/highlights/scout-snipers-raft-idahos-salmon-river/
Temperatures in the single digits have brought ice to the Salmon River in the Salmon area. Slush ice has been flowing for a couple of days, and steelhead fishing is suspended for the time being. With moderating temperatures the ice will ease off, and we will be able to put boats on and fish for […]
Steelhead fishing conditions in the Salmon area continue favorable, in spite of the the time of the year. It is common for slush ice to begin flowing in the Salmon area by mid-November, but this year the river is still getting into the low 40s. The river has come up a bit, to a strong […]
Steelhead fishing on the Salmon River near Salmon, Idaho, continues to have good river conditions, but mixed success. The river has been unseasonably warm all fall, up in the upper 40s and lower 50s until lately. Yesterday it was 44-45 degrees at the end of a cloudy day–a very good temperature for steelhead fishing, but […]
Steelhead fishing in the Salmon River near Salmon is improving, but is still erratic. There are good days, and some not so good. It seems as if there are groups of steelhead moving through the area, and if you are on the group, fishing is hot, but if you’re between, not so hot. Usually fishing […]
Steelhead are beginning to arrive in the Salmon area. Fishing success will pick up very quickly as more fish reach this section of river. River temperature has dropped to the low 50s. The river is fairly clear, and pretty low for this time of year. There has still not been a hard frost, but cottonwoods […]
