Steelhead usually arrive in the Salmon area in fishable numbers in the third week of October. Dam counts were low earlier, but now are a strong average. More important than numbers, in the Salmon area, is water temperature, which affects the migration. The river is cooling, which will stimulate fish to move upstream. We have […]
Mid-winter snowpack in the Salmon River basin was above average, but the rest of the winter and spring was dry. By late May the snowpack was less than 50%. The Middle Fork of the Salmon peaked about the 14th of May, at about 6 1/2 feet, and has been dropping continuously, now in the mid-threes. […]
Not much fishing activity in the Salmon area, but lots of fishermen upstream near the mouth of the Pahsimeroi.
Today at mid-day at Salmon the river was 47 degrees, visibility about a foot, very little fishing activity. We usually can fish through the first week of April, but lost it this year. For several years there was a hot-spot under the bridge in Salmon at the beginning of April, presumably because smolts had been […]
The river on Tuesday was 38 degrees in the morning, 45 at the end of the day, a little color in the water but certainly fishable. Had two fly fishermen, landed six steelhead. Noticed a couple of redds being formed, saw one steelhead in a shallow redd area.
3-26-13 We’ve been told recently that most of the steelhead reaching the Pahsimeroi hatchery are B Run fish. This is an exciting bit of news for us, as Salmon River steelies are generally classified as the smaller A Run fish. We’ve been out on the river most days this past week, and the weather has […]
Last week was cold, with wind, raw days on the river, but with colder weather, snowmelt decreased and the river cleared and cooled. River temperature is in upper 30s, with only a slight amount of color in the river. There are fish around. Yesterday my boat landed three, missed a couple. We probably have a […]
Today in mid-afternoon the river just below Salmon was 44 degrees and clear. Recent cool weather has slowed snowmelt enough that the river clarity has improved. Warmer river temperatures have started some fish moving upstream. Son John was out this afternoon with friends, hooked several on plugs, but netting was less successful.
The Salmon River in the Salmon area has been off-color lately, but has been warming. Water clarity is better upstream from Salmon, above the Lemhi River. Yesterday son John and friend fished for the afternoon above Salmon, in water that was off but fishable, had two on but lost. Below Salmon, visibility was about 10 […]
A historical novel with a Middle Fork setting is again available. ” Murder on the Middle Fork”,2005, by Don Smith, can be ordered from his daughter, Heather Thomas, at hsmiththomas@centurytel.net. Some of you who are familiar with the lore of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River may have read of a murder just upstream […]
13 March 2013 Salmon River steelhead fishing conditions near Salmon Idaho: At mid-day the river was 44 degrees, somewhat off-color, about 20 inches of visibility, about on the edge of my interest in fishing. Last week fishing was OK, but slowed over the weekend. River conditions were adequate through the beginning of the week, but […]
Jerry Carter got this 17 lb steelhead in March 2011 near Salmon. This is an exceptional fish for the upper river.
Let’s go fishing! The spring steelhead season is on. Yesterday afternoon was a perfect day for fishing. The weather was mild-in the 40s, and with the heater in the boat, the temperature didn’t matter anyway. And better yet, we were into the fish! I checked the weather forecast, and the remainder of the week is […]
Sunday, February 24th was a good day for Logan. He “hit the crick” with John Bernt of Aggipah River Trips, and caught his first steelhead on a fly rod. This is BIG news for a guy who loves to fish as much as Logan does. The news gets better. Logan’s steelhead measured 30 inches, an […]
A few weeks ago, Laura Zuckerman wrote a nice little piece in the Idaho Falls Post Register entitled, A River Runs Through Him. The article gave a synopsis of Bill Bernt, owner of Aggipah River Trips. Ilona McCarty, a local photographer, captured some great images of Bill. She also wrote a little about her afternoon with Bill. Zuckerman’s subtitle […]
I was going through my photos the other day and happened upon this one: I instantly caught Spring Fever. I was ready to pack my river bag for the upcoming season. Spring river trips can be some of the very best for many reasons. A highlight of these trips is the chance to view wildlife that […]
