Steelhead angler effort on the upper Salmon River continued to increase this past week. Effort increased upstream of North Fork in location codes 16 and 17, but the majority of angler effort was once again concentrated downstream of North Fork in location codes 14 and 15. Anglers interviewed downstream of the Middle Fork in location code 14 averaged 27 hours per steelhead caught and 108 hours per steelhead kept. Downstream of North Fork in location code 15, anglers interviewed averaged 28 hours per steelhead caught and 71 hours per steelhead kept. Upstream of North Fork in location code 16, anglers interviewed averaged 55 hours per steelhead caught and 275 hours per steelhead kept. Anglers interviewed upstream of the Lemhi River in location code 17 averaged 66 hours per steelhead caught and did not report harvesting a steelhead. Check Harvest Report for more details.
Currently, the Salmon River is flowing at 1,790 cfs through the town of Salmon, ID which is 135% of average for today’s date. The river’s visibility was good throughout the week and water temperatures were near 50°. - Brent Beller, Salmon Region, Fisheries Technician II