Upper Salmon River Fall 2024 Steelhead Fishing Update (10-29-2024)

Angler effort along the Upper Salmon River continued to increase last week as many anglers got out to enjoy the warmer weather, especially over the weekend. The largest increase in angler effort was observed downstream of North Fork, but we also saw angler effort begin to increase around Salmon ID.

Average catch rates were similar to what was reported last week, with all monitored areas at, or below, 20 hours per steelhead caught. Anglers interviewed downstream of the Middle Fork Salmon River in location code 14 averaged 20 hours per steelhead caught, and anglers interviewed downstream of North Fork in location code 15 averaged 18 hours per steelhead caught. Anglers interviewed downstream of the Lemhi River in location code 16 averaged 16 hours per steelhead caught. Relatively few interviews were obtained from anglers fishing upstream of the Lemhi River in location code 17, but anglers that were interviewed in that area averaged 6 hours per steelhead caught.

River conditions were stable throughout last week with good clarity and water temperatures in the mid-40s (figure below). The Salmon River is currently flowing at 1,100 cfs through the town of Salmon, ID which is 83 percent of average for today’s date.