Steelhead angler effort continued to increase over the past week on the upper Salmon River. Most anglers were observed fishing downstream of Salmon in location codes 14, 15, and 16, but effort upstream of Salmon in location code 17 increased this week as well. Anglers interviewed downstream of the Middle Fork in location code 14 averaged 39 hours per steelhead caught and 90 hours per steelhead kept. Downstream of North Fork in location code 15, anglers interviewed averaged 33 hours per steelhead caught and 72 hours per steelhead kept. In location code 16, downstream of the Lemhi River, anglers interviewed averaged 28 hours per steelhead caught and 40 hours per steelhead kept. Upstream of the Lemhi River in location code 17, anglers interviewed averaged 40 hours per steelhead caught or kept.
Currently the Salmon River is flowing at 1,440 cfs through the town of Salmon, ID which is 110% of average for today’s date. On Sunday the river’s visibility was cloudy in all surveyed location codes with temperatures in the upper 40s. - Brent Beller, Salmon Region, Fisheries Technician II