General Regional Information - Winter 2008-2009
Steelhead Trout
Just because it's winter and the weather is cold doesn't mean you have to put your steelhead gear away. In fact, some of the best catch rates of the year come in the winter as fish stop migrating and head for deeper and slower water.
Winter steelheading also means less fishing pressure as fair weather anglers hang it up to wait for spring. The Snake, Salmon, and the Clearwater rivers can all provide excellent winter fishing. The diversity of winter fishing opportunities in the region is outstanding, ranging from drifting a bobber from the levees in downtown Lewiston to backcountry jet boating to a secret hole in the heart of the Salmon River Canyon.
The 2008 season brought us another outstanding steelhead run, with about 165,000 fish counted at Lower Granite Dam through late December. This is about 25,000 fish more than the average for the last ten years.
Another bright spot for Clearwater anglers is that the number of the larger B-run steelhead, bound primarily for the Clearwater drainage, is up considerably from last few years. Estimates are that almost 40,000 of these big fish crossed Lower Granite in 2008, almost doubling last year's total. The last five year average B-run steelhead has been about 30,000 fish. A lot of these big fish overwinter in the Snake and Clearwater rivers in and around Lewiston, and can provide great fishing right in town through February.
By late December, steelhead have distributed throughout the region's rivers. This includes: Clearwater River from Lewiston upstream to Kooskia, the Snake River upstream to Hell's Canyon Dam, and throughout the Salmon River.
Winter steelhead fishing usually means deep water, slow presentation, and small lures. This time of year you will find most anglers drifting eggs or shrimp, jigs and bobbers, and slowly backtrolling plugs.
If you decide to give winter steelheading a try, please remember to dress for the weather and be mindful of slippery rocks on the bank and slippery decks on boats. Wearing a life jacket is a good idea, even for bank anglers; an unexpected fall into near freezing water will quickly become a life-threatening experience.
All Idaho steelhead are summer run fish, which means they leave the ocean in the late summer. The bulk of these fish arrive in Idaho by early fall. They 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 run 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 year 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.
Before you go, take a look at the steelhead regulations and especially remember the "Big Three":
Pinch your barbs down on all hooks you use.
Immediately release any steelhead you catch with an unclipped adipose fin.
Immediately validate your steelhead permit upon retaining a legal steelhead.
Please call the Clearwater Regional Office at 208-799-5010 to get the most up to date information, or if you have any further questions about steelhead fishing.
Lowland Lakes
Winter fishing at our lowland lakes usually means ice fishing. Waha and Mann lakes are the exception and frequently remain ice free for most of the winter. Most lakes receive generous fall plants of catchable rainbow trout that can lead to some outstanding fishing through the ice. Please be very careful and double check ice conditions before venturing out. Below is a list of regional waters and some of the fish you might expect to encounter at each:
Deer Creek Reservoir - It is the state's newest fishing water. The reservoir is open all year to fishing, but because of wildlife related road restrictions, the access road will be open to motorized vehicles May 20-September 30 annually. Outside of those dates, anglers and other lake users will need to hike about half a mile to reach the lake.
Elk Creek Reservoir - Good populations of largemouth and smallmouth bass, bluegill, brook trout, and stocked rainbow trout. The brook trout here can grow up to 16 inches. All brook trout must be counted in the 6 fish trout limit.
Mann Lake - Mann Lake is an irrigation reservoir and is usually drawn down in the winter, but fishing can still be good. Good populations of largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, and stocked rainbow trout.
Moose Creek Reservoir - Good populations of largemouth bass, bluegill, and stocked rainbow trout.
Soldier's Meadow Reservoir - 20 miles south of Lewiston. Soldier's Meadow is an irrigation reservoir and is usually drawn down in late summer. Good populations of black crappie and stocked rainbow trout.
Spring Valley Reservoir - Near Troy, Idaho. Family Fishing Water. Good populations of largemouth bass, bluegill, and stocked rainbow trout.
Tolo Lake - Near Grangeville, Idaho. This is a fairly turbid natural lake stocked with white crappie, largemouth bass, bluegill, and channel catfish.
Waha Lake - South of Lewiston, Idaho. Waha is a natural lake and has fair populations of smallmouth bass and stocked rainbow trout.
Winchester Lake - Near Winchester, Idaho. It has excellent populations of largemouth bass, bluegill, black crappie, yellow perch, channel catfish, and stocked rainbow trout. Visitors to Winchester Lake will notice numerous floating structures on the lake. These are part of an experimental project to improve water quality and fishing by oxygenating the deeper portions of the lake.
Dworshak Reservoir - Near Orofino. Dworshak is usually drawn down about 80 feet to minimum pool in the winter as federal fish managers tap the reservoir's cool water in the summer to help juvenile salmon migrate to the ocean and make room for flood control for the next year's runoff. Kokanee fishing is usually slow in the winter but trout fishing can be very good. Look for the best trout action in the lower portion of the reservoir and at mouths of tributary streams. The reservoir above Grandad Bridge is closed to fishing from November 30 to the following Memorial Day weekend. Anglers may incidentally catch a bull trout in Dworshak Reservoir and are reminded that they are closed to harvest, so it pays to know how to identify your fish. The IDFG fishing regulation pamphlet has a good fish identification key on pages 16-19 to help you.
Boat ramps at Canyon Creek and Grandad are unusable during the winter, but boaters can still launch at Bruce's Eddy, Dent, and Dworshak State Park. Please use extreme caution when launching your boat in the winter, as ice can form on the steep ramps. A good set of tire chains is a must when launching during periods of sub-freezing temperatures
Rivers and Streams
The general stream season ended on November 30, but the winter stream season runs on most regional streams from December 1 through March 31. During the winter stream season, all trout, except brook trout, must be released, and all gear restrictions that apply during the general season still apply. An exception to the gear restrictions is that insects and insect larvae can be used for bait in the Selway River below the Selway Falls cable car, the Lochsa River below the Wilderness Gateway Bridge, and the North Fork Clearwater River above Dworshak Reservoir during the winter stream season.
Kelly Creek, Crooked Fork Creek, the Lochsa River above Wilderness Gateway Bridge, and the Selway River above the Selway Falls Bridge do not have winter stream seasons.
The under appreciated whitefish is very common in most regional streams and can grow to 22 inches. They are active all winter and can provide excellent cold-weather fishing. The Clearwater River below Kooskia, the lower Selway and Lochsa are the best places to try your luck for this sporty fish. Most anglers fish with small wet flies just off the bottom in riffle areas for the best results. In those waters where bait is allowed, many anglers tip their flies with a maggot or piece of nightcrawler to add a little additional enticement.
The Snake and lower Salmon Rivers both have excellent smallmouth bass populations. Winter fishing for them can be slow, although a few die-hard bass anglers catch some winter fish. Deep water and slow presentations are the way to go for winter bass. Smallmouths in these rivers usually average about 10-12", but fish up to 5 lbs are caught every year.
White Sturgeon
Both the Snake and lower Salmon rivers offer one of the most unique freshwater fishing experiences you can have anywhere: fishing for white sturgeon. Sturgeon can be caught all year but the action usually slows down during the winter.
The Clearwater Region has perhaps the best population of white sturgeon in Idaho in the 105 miles of free-flowing Snake River from Lewiston upstream to Hell's Canyon Dam. The most recent studies there estimated that there are from 3 to 6 thousand sturgeon between 2 and 11 feet long in this area. Over half of the fish are less than 3 feet long, indicating that there is good reproduction in this stretch. Smaller numbers of sturgeon are found in the lower Salmon River.
White sturgeon can live to be over 80 years old and grow very slowly. Because of this, since 1970 the sturgeon fishery has been managed under a strict catch and release regulation.
Catch and release fishing for sturgeon continues to be more popular in Idaho every year. As the number of anglers increases, so does the importance of treating hooked fish properly to insure their survival. If you decide to try your hand at this exciting sport, please use the following tips to ensure you are practicing "low-impact" sturgeon fishing and treating these ancient fish with the respect they deserve:
Hook 'Em Right: (Keep the fish from swallowing the hook)
Use non-offset circle hooks-sizes 7/0 to 13/0. Non-offset circle hooks offer a tremendous advantage over traditional J-hooks because fish are almost never hooked deeply when using them. Two other advantages of these hooks are that fish rarely become unhooked during the fight, plus they are much less likely to snag on rocky, river bottoms. Circle hooks are very different than J-hooks and require an angler to employ a few different techniques for them to work properly:
First, make sure the hook point is exposed and not covered up with the bait.
Second, when a fish starts to bite, let it mouth the bait a few seconds longer than you would with a J-hook.
Lastly, don't set the hook. Instead, simply start reeling until you come tight on the fish. The hook will catch on the corner of the mouth as you smoothly tighten the line.
For those not yet ready to make the switch to circle hooks, remember that when using a regular "J" hook, it is especially critical to stay attentive to the rod and hook the fish quickly before it has a chance to swallow the bait.
Pinch the barb-(It’s the law). Pinch the barb down on your hook to ease hook removal and minimize the damage to a sturgeon’s fleshy mouth.
Rig it right. Tie your sinker to a dropper line on a sliding swivel, using at least twenty pound test lighter line than your main line. This will minimize the chances of leaving a baited hook rig snagged to the bottom if you break off. We suspect that this "ghost gear" is getting to be a real problem in some popular fishing holes.
Play 'Em Fast: (Avoid overstressing the fish during the fight)
50-80 lb test monofilament lines or 130-150 lb test superbraid lines should be considered the minimum size to use. Monofilament has advantages in that it has much higher abrasion resistance and its stretch makes it much more forgiving when fighting large fish.
Use heavy gear properly sized to fight powerful fish weighing up to 400 pounds and land the fish as quickly as possible. Lactic acid can build up in the fish’s muscles during long fights. A good sturgeon reel needs to be very well built, have a very smooth drag, and hold at least 250 yards of the proper line.
Choose your fishing spot carefully. Be realistic about the chances of landing a large sturgeon when choosing a fishing hole, especially when fishing without a boat. Ask yourself if you will be able to follow the fish if it leaves the hole. Try to avoid having to tell the story of being spooled, leaving 200 yards or more of expensive line hooked to a fish.
Release 'Em Easy: (Ensure the fish will survive to fight another day)
Keep the fish in the water-(It’s the law). Don’t pull the fish up on the rocks for a photo. Pulling the fish on the rocks will remove the fish’s layer of protective mucous and often will open cuts in the fish’s skin, which can lead the way to an infection. The best way to get a great sturgeon photo is to get in the water with the fish. In cold weather, this usually means having some waders handy. Keep water flowing over the gills at all times when removing the hook or snapping a picture.
Don’t tie the fish by the tail. A tail-roped fish can easily be injured, especially if it starts thrashing.
Revive a played-out fish by holding its mouth open in the current so water flows over its gills until it wants to swim away. A tired sturgeon will almost always remain calm when you hold them by the mouth upside down in the water. Keep your hands out of their gills at all times.
