FALL STEELHEAD FISHING

Idaho Fish & Game (IDFG) is already commenting on the Fall Salmon Season. They report that as of late July, over 3,500 steelhead have been counted at Lower Granite Dam and some are already in the lower Clearwater River where they are waiting for the Snake River to turn colder before continuing their migration.

And if you want to know more about steelhead, IDFG writes: "All Idaho steelhead are summer run fish, which means they leave the ocean in the late summer, with most of the fish arriving in Idaho by early fall. These fish will then spend the winter in the Snake, Salmon and Clearwater Rivers, and spawn the following spring.

Fish managers have broadly grouped Idaho steelhead into two types, which we have termed A-run, and B-run. A-run steelhead originate mainly from the Snake and Salmon Rivers and typically spend one or two years in the ocean, returning as 5 to 10 pound adults. B-run fish originate primarily from the Clearwater River, and typically spend two to three years in the ocean, returning as 10 to 20 pound adults." source: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/fish/reports/clearwater.cfm

The fish count for steelhead over the dams continues to hold strong, making us think it might be a hot season coming this Fall for steelhead. Keeping track of the fish counts over the dams is recorded by IDFG and can be viewed daily at this web link: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/fish/steelhead/dam_count.cfm. The graph for Bonneville Dam is impressive. Check it out!