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FISHING GUIDE · IDAHO
Idaho: Clearwater and Salmon Rivers Fishing Guide
Idaho's steelhead travel a long way up the Columbia and Snake to reach these rivers. The Clearwater is famous for big B-run fish, and the Salmon River around Riggins is a popular fall and winter steelhead area. Only hatchery steelhead with a clipped adipose fin may be kept, and limits can change during the season.
📍 North-central Idaho. The Clearwater runs west to meet the Snake River at Lewiston; the North Fork joins it near Orofino at Dworshak. The Salmon River flows past Riggins, where the Little Salmon joins it, along U.S. Highway 95.
Map: spots, ramps and marinas
★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)
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Quick facts
- B-run steelhead mostly return to the Clearwater, usually after two years in the ocean, and typically run 31-34 inches and 10-13 pounds.
- Idaho's state record steelhead weighed 30 pounds, 2 ounces, caught in the Clearwater River in 1973.
- Dworshak National Fish Hatchery, where the North Fork meets the Clearwater about 3 miles west of Orofino, raises Clearwater B-strain steelhead.
- Riggins sits where the Little Salmon meets the Salmon River and calls itself 'Idaho's Whitewater Capital.'
- Riggins is the northwesternmost town in the Mountain time zone; Pacific time starts just north across the Salmon River.
What you can catch
- B-run steelhead
Big two-ocean fish; mostly Clearwater, late August-September entry. - A-run steelhead
Mostly Snake and Salmon rivers; 23-26 inches, return June-August. - Fall chinook salmon
2026 season Aug 18 - Nov 1 on the Clearwater, Snake and Salmon. - Hatchery steelhead
Only adipose-clipped adults may be kept. - Wild steelhead
Adipose fin intact; must be released. - Three-ocean steelhead
Usually over 37 inches and often over 20 pounds.
Month by month
| January | Spring steelhead season; check current rules. Winter fishing around Riggins and White Bird. |
|---|---|
| February | Spring steelhead; check current rules. |
| March | Spring steelhead; check current rules. |
| April | Spring steelhead; check current rules. |
| May | Hatchery steelhead fishing winds down by the end of May. |
| June | A-run steelhead start returning toward Idaho. |
| July | Adult steelhead begin entering Idaho waters. |
| August | 2026: middle Salmon (Lake Creek Bridge to Long Tom Creek) catch-and-release Aug 1-31. Fall chinook opens Aug 18. |
| September | 2026: lower Clearwater, North Fork Clearwater, Salmon and Little Salmon steelhead open Sept 1; upper Clearwater Sept 10. |
| October | B-run season; upper Clearwater and South Fork Clearwater listed to close Oct 14, 2026. |
| November | Fall chinook season ends Nov 1, 2026; steelhead continues. |
| December | 2026 fall steelhead season on the lower Clearwater and Salmon runs through Dec 31. |
Tips
- Buy both an Idaho fishing license and a steelhead permit if you are 14 or older.
- Pinch your barbs down; barbless hooks are required.
- Validate your permit right away when you keep a steelhead (notch, river code, date).
- Bank access near Riggins includes Short's Bar, Time Zone Bridge and Island Bar.
- Check the IDFG season page before each trip; limits were changed in-season on Sept 18, 2026.
Rules and license
Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) · Official rules page ↗
- Anglers 14 and older need a fishing license and a steelhead permit; validate the permit as soon as you keep a fish.
- Only hatchery steelhead (adipose fin clipped) may be kept; release wild fish and any steelhead with an intact adipose fin.
- Barbless hooks required (or barbs pinched down).
- A kept steelhead must be killed at once; fish hooked anywhere but the mouth or jaw must be released.
- Fall 2026 Clearwater: 2 per day, only 1 at 28 inches or more; 6 in possession (only 3 at 28 inches or more); 20 per fall season.
- Fall 2026 lower Salmon and Little Salmon: 2 per day, 6 in possession, 20 per fall season.
- Once you reach your limit, stop fishing for steelhead, including catch-and-release.
- Season dates and limits can change at any time; check IDFG before fishing.
Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.
Boat ramps and marinas
The map above shows 12 boat ramps and 1 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.
- Asotin Boat Ramp
- Hells Gate Marina
- Mann Lake Boat Ramp
- Steelhead Park Boat Ramp
- Swallows Park Boat Ramp
Sources
- https://idfg.idaho.gov/fish/steelhead/rules/fall-run
- https://idfg.idaho.gov/fish/steelhead/rules/fall-run/clearwater-river-lower-mouth-us-highway-12-memorial-bridge-fall-2026
- https://idfg.idaho.gov/fish/steelhead/rules/fall-run/clearwater-river-upper-us-highway-12-memorial-bridge-clear-creek-0
- https://idfg.idaho.gov/fish/steelhead/rules/fall-run/salmon-river-lower-fall-2026-0
- https://idfg.idaho.gov/fish/steelhead/rules/fall-run/salmon-river-middle-fall-2026
- https://idfg.idaho.gov/fish/steelhead/rules/fall-run/little-salmon-river-fall-2026
- https://idfg.idaho.gov/article/2026-fall-chinook-season-opener-what-anglers-need-know
- https://idfg.idaho.gov/press/steelhead-anglers-reminded-rules-including-reduced-limits
- https://idfg.idaho.gov/fish/steelhead/profile
- https://www.fws.gov/fish-hatchery/dworshak
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riggins,_Idaho
- https://visitnorthcentralidaho.org/things-to-do/riggins-white-bird-winter-steelhead-fishing/
Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.