Steelhead Fishing

Steelhead are large, ocean-going rainbow trout native to Idaho and the northwest region. When adult steelhead leave the ocean and swim back to Idaho, they create one of the state’s most amazing fishing opportunities.

Notice: Steelhead seasons are modified

Starting in August and for the next 9 months, anglers can fish for adult hatchery steelhead in Idaho’s rivers. Fishing is best on the lower sections of the Clearwater, Snake and Salmon rivers in the fall. As steelhead continue to migrate upstream anglers will find them in the South Fork Clearwater, Little Salmon and upper Salmon rivers. Steelhead are sometimes released into other waters, like the Boise River, to provide additional fishing opportunities.

News

Idaho's Fish Marking Program - We Have Come A Long Ways

Monday, May 4, 2020 - 5:54 PM MDT

The Idaho fish marking program started in 1975 with a small group of people directed to tag salmon and steelhead raised in Idaho’s hatcheries by inserting a tiny pieces of wire, known as coded-wire tags, into the snouts of over one million salmon and steelhead. Now Idaho’s fish marking program clips and tags approximately 11 million juvenile salmon and steelhead each year.

Steelhead Fishing Clearwater Region Chinook Salmon Fishing Steelhead Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss gairdneri) Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
Steelhead attempt to ascend Big Bear Falls in the Potlatch River drainage

Thursday, April 16, 2020 - 9:49 AM MDT

Watch as steelhead repeatedly attempt to ascend Big Bear Falls in the Potlatch River drainage. Man-caused alterations in stream flow has made passage of this falls impossible for steelhead in most years. Plans are underway to modify these falls in 2021 so that steelhead can once again access areas where they were once common.

Wild Salmon and Steelhead Steelhead Fishing Fishing Steelhead Seasons and Rules
Row, Row, Row Your Smolt Gently Down the Stream: Barging Juvenile Salmon and Steelhead through the Columbia and Snake Rivers

Thursday, April 9, 2020 - 11:41 AM MDT

Row, Row, Row Your Smolt Gently Down the Stream: Barging Juvenile Salmon and Steelhead through the Columbia and Snake Rivers

Chinook Salmon Fishing Steelhead Fishing Wild Salmon and Steelhead Clearwater Region Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Steelhead Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss gairdneri) Sockeye Salmon or Kokanee (Oncorhynchus nerka)
Attention anglers: Delays expected in "Tag, You're It" reward processsing, but please continue to report tags

Thursday, March 26, 2020 - 6:29 PM MDT

Due to challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, anglers who report reward tags as part of Fish and Game’s “Tag, You’re It” program should expect some delays in receiving their rewards. Jeff Dillon, fisheries research manager at Idaho Fish and Game said, “Under the current conditions, we are not going to be able to process reward tags as quickly as we normally would.

Fishing Fishing Seasons and Rules Chinook Salmon Fishing Steelhead Fishing COVID-19 Information
F&G will not give away spawned steelhead at hatcheries during spring

Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - 4:38 PM MDT

Fish and Game will be spawning adult steelhead during spring at the Pahsimeroi and Sawtooth hatcheries, but those fish will not be given away at the hatcheries. Instead, the Pahsimeroi and Sawtooth hatcheries will contact local food pantries to help distribute steelhead carcasses for public consumption.

Steelhead Fishing Salmon Region COVID-19 Information
March 23: Upper Salmon steelhead fishing report

Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - 8:36 AM MDT

Angler effort on the upper Salmon River increased this past week, especially in location code 17 near Ellis. Catch rates remained good downstream of North Fork in location code 15, and continued to improve upstream of Challis, in location codes 18 and 19 although angler effort in these areas remained low.

Steelhead Fishing Salmon Region Steelhead Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss gairdneri)
F&G completes land deals in Clearwater Region, securing access for hunters and anglers

Monday, March 23, 2020 - 3:16 PM MDT

Idaho Fish and Game recently finalized two land deals in the Clearwater Region, preserving access to a stretch of river frontage that is a popular destination for salmon and steelhead anglers, and adding additional access to the Craig Mountain Wildlife Management Area.

Clearwater Region Hunting and Fishing Access Chinook Salmon Fishing Steelhead Fishing