Steelhead Trout

Oct. 9: Idaho steelhead update from fisheries manager Joe DuPont

With steelhead harvest season opening Oct.15 on the Clearwater River, anglers are reminded that Idaho Fish and Game is continuing the one-fish bag limit for hatchery steelhead until Dec. 31 in order to continue reduced harvest on hatchery steelhead and protect wild steelhead. 

F&G assumes management of Hagerman steelhead hatchery

Idaho Fish and Game recently reached an agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to assume operations of the Hagerman National Fish Hatchery, which raises about 1.6 million juvenile steelhead for release in the Upper Salmon River Basin.

Reduced steelhead limit extended until Dec. 31

To continue reduced harvest on hatchery steelhead and protect wild steelhead, Idaho Fish and Game is continuing the one-fish bag limit for steelhead until Dec. 31. The lower bag limit applies in the mainstem Clearwater River, Middle Fork Clearwater River, North Fork of the Clearwater River, South Fork Clearwater River, Snake River, Salmon River and Little Salmon River. 

Because of the low returns, fisheries managers need to ensure there are enough steelhead returning to replenish hatcheries with eggs, and also protect wild steelhead, which are not open to harvest. 

Youth steelhead clinic Oct 25 & 27 in Lewiston

Young anglers ages 8-14 are invited to participate in the annual steelhead clinic held on Thursday, Oct. 25  from 6 to 8 pm and Saturday, Oct. 27 from 8am -1pm. Both events will be held at the Idaho Fish and Game regional office on 16th street in Lewiston.

A steelhead update from Joe DuPont (8/28/18)

Hi everybody, it is late enough in the year that we now have a good feel for what the hatchery steelhead A-run to Idaho is going to be like.  These are the hatchery fish destined for the Salmon and Snake rivers.  At this point in time (8/28/18), typically over 70% of these hatchery stocks of steelhead should have passed over Bonneville Dam.  Unfortunately, the information I have for you is not good.  If you look at all the steelhead count data at Bonneville Dam, you would have to go back to 1944 to find a year with a lower window count (54,704) than we have for th

Low steelhead return prompts reduced bag limit starting Sept. 3

In order to reduce harvest on hatchery steelhead and protect wild steelhead, Idaho Fish and Game has temporarily reduced the daily bag limit to one steelhead starting Sept. 3 

Last fall's wild steelhead return exceeded expectations because of unusually small fish

Fish and Game biologists did not initially see as many B-run fish back as they would have liked, but they were pleasantly surprised in the spring. 

July 31: Steelhead fishing outlook for Clearwater, Snake and Salmon rivers

Outlook focuses on Idaho’s hatchery returns because they provide us our sport fishing opportunity

Steelhead Spawning at MK Nature Center

For the last few weeks, steelhead have been spawning at MK Nature Center in the large viewing window. They appear to be done now, but here is a video of the spawning behavior in case you missed it. Be sure to watch until the end as the female will make  a  pass over the nest with her digging behavior at the 45 second mark!
Watch Steelhead Spawn

Clearwater steelhead fishing report (2/14/18)

Catch rates were slower this past week on the North Fork of the Clearwater (river sect 05).