Thinking about spring steelheading? Here's 100K reasons to do it this year

What conditions to watch for

Warmer weather gets the fish moving and more active, but you want those Goldilocks conditions. Gently warming water can be your friend, but too warm, or rainy weather, can turn rivers into muddy torrents and make steelhead fishing difficult. 

Anglers can see a river flow gauges thanks to the U.S. Geological Survey, which has gauging stations throughout Idaho. By watching the weather and the stream flows, anglers can track in real time what’s happening with the rivers.

Steelhead typically like water with a little color (think emerald green), but not too low and clear, or too muddy. The weather can change quickly in late winter and early spring, so fishing can change dramatically from day to day. 

Steelhead fishing also tends to improve when a river recedes after a big pulse of runoff. Good steelhead anglers, or lucky ones, can catch fish in almost any conditions, but using those guidelines will help you improve your chances of catching fish and knowing when to time your trips. 

Where the fish go, the anglers follow

Steelhead congregating in smaller headwaters and tributaries means there can be crowding. In some cases, that gives steelhead fishing a social atmosphere, but it can also lead to intense competition for prime fishing spots, especially on weekends. That’s not intended to wave you off, but have realistic expectations, and fishing midweek or later in the day on weekends might help if you don’t like crowds. 

Don’t feel like you have to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with other anglers to catch steelhead. There’s more than a 100 miles of river between Stanley and Salmon, and more downstream from Salmon, and most of it is road accessible.

Get the latest steelhead intel 

To further fine tune your knowledge, steelhead anglers can check Fish and Game's harvest reports to see how the fishing is. Catch rates at under 10 hours per fish is good, and under 5 hours per fish is excellent.

Another option is to check the hatchery returns, which helps you track when fish start arriving at hatcheries, and it can also be an indicator of how many remain in the river nearby. 

Remember it’s better to be a little early than a little late because fish are migrating, so if you wait too long, most of them may have already swam past where you want to fish. 

A phone call to Fish and Game regional offices or local tackle shops can also provide anglers with useful and timely information. 

By doing a little homework and watching the weather, you can hit it when the rivers are in good shape and fish are in. Remember those dates because there's a fair-to-good chance you will find similar conditions around those dates in future years.