Steelhead Season

Steelhead trout are truly an amazing fish to catch. They run, jump and play all the way in and with an average size of 20-40 inches and weight of 5-20 lbs, hooking one is an unforgettable experience!  We fish for these fish from mid March until the last day of April on the Upper Main Salmon.  We fish using "blind fishing" and "sight fishing" techniques and may be found fishing anywhere in about 60 to 70 miles of water on the Main Salmon River from Challis to just below the fish hatchery above Stanley.

Steelhead Trout are an anadromous (ocean-run ) Rainbow Trout that return to the free flowing Salmon River to spawn each year in the Spring. After spending one to three years in the ocean, the Salmon River Steelhead migrate from the Pacific Ocean up the Columbia, Snake and Salmon River drainages to spawn in the waters where they were born. These fish have travelled approximately 900 miles before they reach the section of river where we fish.

"Wild" Steelhead (also called "Natural" fish) are fish which have not been bred and reared in a fish hatchery. With the exception of Coho Salmon, which were declared extinct in the mid- 1980's, all of Idaho's wild anadromous salmon and steelhead are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Construction of dams and reservoirs on the lower Snake and Columbia Rivers has been one of the primary causes for the decline of Idaho's wild salmon and steelhead. Dams and reservoirs have created unfavorable migration conditions, especially for smolts, the young salmon and steelhead. We practice careful catch and release fishing, with special attention to protecting all wild fish.  Occasionally we will keep a "hatchery reared" fish.

Salmon river Steelhead migrate up from the ocean in the fall to spend the winter downstream from Stanley near the towns of Salmon and Riggins.   Once the water in the higher country warms up, these fish begin to move on up to the waters they were born in to begin their spring spawning ritual. Our steelhead season occurs in March and April. Although the exact timing of the spring upstream migration each year is impossible to predict, fishing is usually best in late March and all of April. To preserve the quality of your steelhead fishing experience, we limit groups to 2 and very occasionally 3 guests. Most of our Steelhead trips are Walk and Wade fishing, but we also offer the opportunity to float in a Drift Boat and fish for them if our guests prefer fishing with a boat.