Salmon River remains clear

Weather in the Salmon area has been unseasonably warm, and the Salmon River is warmer than most years on this date.  The last few days  the river has been about 40 degrees, or slightly warmer, at mid-day, then several degrees warmer by evening.  The spring steelhead migration seems to have started earlier. Fish are traveling through the system, with some already in the upper river.  The river has a slight amount of color, but not enough to affect steelhead fishing.  Success has been a bit erratic the last few days–some good stories, some not so good.  It seems as if steelhead are moving in groups, and if a person finds a group, you’re golden.

It’s a good time to be on the river.  Geese are congregating on the cliff ledges, grass just beginning to green on the south slopes, deer and elk down low to search out that first green.  There was a recent transplant of turkeys along the river in the Salmon area, and a couple of days ago several flew over our heads, landed, and began to cluck.