Idaho Fish and Game personnel began interviewing steelhead anglers along the upper Salmon River on Friday, October 1. Angler effort over the weekend was low, and no anglers interviewed reported catching a steelhead. Angler effort and catch rates are estimated to pick up over the next couple of weeks as more steelhead arrive.
Due to low precipitation throughout 2021, river conditions are atypical for early October. Currently, the Salmon River through the town of Salmon is flowing at 638 cfs, which is 53 percent of average for today's date. River temperatures over the weekend were in the mid-50s, and the river had clear visibility upstream of Deadwater, and slightly cloudy downstream of Deadwater in location codes 14 and 15.
Based on PIT tag detections at Bonneville and Lower Granite dams, Fish and Game estimates that returns of hatchery steelhead to the Salmon River this fall will be similar to what was observed during the fall of 2018. This means that the expected return will be lower than last year but higher than what was seen during the fall of 2019. These return estimates prompted a reduction in steelhead bag limits for the fall 2021 steelhead fishery to one (1) steelhead per day and three (3) in possession on the Salmon and Snake rivers.
For additional information, anglers are encouraged to visit the Fish and Game’s Steelhead Seasons and Rules webpage at idfg.idaho.gov/fish/steelhead/rules.