Steelhead Season Opens on the Clearwater

Steelhead harvest fishing season opens Sunday, October 15, on the Clearwater River above the Memorial Bridge on U.S. Highway 12 near Lewiston. The steelhead season has been open below the bridge since August 1. The river opens upstream of Memorial Bridge to Clear Creek; the South Fork opens from its mouth to the confluence of American and Red rivers; and the North Fork opens from its mouth to Dworshak Dam through December 31. The season already is under way on the lower Clearwater, Snake, Salmon and Little Salmon rivers. Check the 2006-2007 fishing rules book for river segments open to steelhead fishing. Enough steelhead are returning to have a season, but the run is either late or smaller than last year. Since June 1, nearly 90,000 steelhead have crossed Lower Granite Dam, the last of eight federal dams they must cross on their way back to Idaho. Last year by this time, more than 100,000 fish had crossed Lower Granite, and the 10-year average for this date is 94,095 steelhead. The steelhead limit on the Clearwater is two fish per day, six in possession and 20 for the season. Elsewhere, the limit is three per day, nine in possession and 20 for the season. Once limits are reached, the angler must stop fishing, even catch and release. Only steelhead with a clipped adipose fin may be kept. Anglers must have a valid 2006 Idaho fishing license and steelhead permit. Steelhead are essentially rainbow trout longer than 20 inches that spend part of their life in the ocean and, like salmon, return to fresh water to spawn. In Idaho, steelhead come back in two runs. The fish anglers are catching in the Clearwater River are likely to be B-run fish. B-run steelhead most often return to the Clearwater River, but some return to tributaries in the Salmon River, after spending two years in the ocean. They average 10 to 13 pounds and run 31 to 34 inches long. They start their migration to Idaho in late summer, usually late August or September. A-run steelhead usually return to the Snake and Salmon rivers after spending one year in the ocean. They typically weigh four to six pounds and run 23 to 26 inches long. They usually return June through August to the mouth of the Columbia River. A few steelhead spend a third year in the ocean before returning to Idaho. They often weigh more than 20 pounds and run longer than 37 inches. The state record steelhead was 30 pounds and caught in the Clearwater River in 1973.