Lewiston Idaho Fishing Report 01.03.18
Clearwater River
If you’re like me, and live a few hours away from the river, you’ve probably asked yourself several times this season, Is it worth it for me to travel and fish the Clearwater?
I’m asking the same question today because I have an open weekend (never happens!) and am toying with the idea of driving Friday night, fishing all day Saturday, and driving back on Saturday night. Crazy, right? Crazier when I look at the forecast and see, like, a 90 percent chance of rain for Friday and a 100 chance (if that is the correct word) for Saturday. I can stand in the rain, all day, shivering if needed, and not complain. But I don’t want to arrive to a river that’s blow to bits. So, what to do?
On Wednesday afternoon I called Jamie Robertson, a fisheries technician for Idaho Department of Fish and Game in Lewiston. She’s the gal who runs up and down the river conducting creel checks and keeping a pulse on the fishing. I asked her, “Is it worth fishing in the next seven days or so?”
She replied, “Last week we only checked two anglers on the mainstem Clearwater and they hadn’t caught a fish in 14 hours of fishing. We checked 61 anglers on the North Fork (below Dworshack Dam) and they’d caught 11 fish. So, it was taking them about 24 hours per fish. That’s not too good.
“Earlier this season we had catch rates as high as six hours per fish,” Robertson added, “and we consider anything under 10 hours per fish to be good. Yesterday I only saw five shore anglers on the river all the way from Lewiston to Orofino, and only a few on the North Fork, and everyone said nothing was biting.”
Last week the river was pushing mud and debris and I hate fishing, or at least figure I don’t stand a chance, when conditions are like that. But the river really, really dropped over the past five days and if it doesn’t spike with the coming rain, it still could be good. Another option is to hold the Snake River, upstream of Heller Bar, as an option if the Clearwater doesn’t live up to its namesake. All season people have offered good reports from the Snake, likely targeting fish headed for the Salmon River and farther upstream on the Snake.
I guess it comes down to this: How badly do you want throw spey and swing for steel this weekend. My suggestion, keep a close eye on the river gauge and make your decision Friday at 5 p.m. You may, or may not, see us down there.
Read past reports from the Lewiston region here, or click here to view all northwest regional reports.