A long cast cross-current. A gentle sweep of the fly through a rocky run. A sudden flash of silver. Another battle begins on the Clearwater River.
Renowned for its abundant steelhead runs, the Clearwater River offers angling opportunities in virtually every season, depending on your target species and which section of the river you explore. Fishing here isn’t always a numbers game, but the Clearwater is a river where hard work pays off, and the rewards can be exceptional.
The Clearwater River stretches 75 miles across North-Central Idaho, not counting its South, Middle and North Forks. Each of these forks—and other notable tributaries like Kelly Creek—also offer excellent fly fishing. But these are stories for another day. Today, let’s set our sights on the main stem of the Clearwater, one of the best steelhead rivers in the Northwest.
Exploring the Clearwater River
Emerging from the Bitterroot Mountains, the Clearwater River is formed by the confluence of the South and Middle Forks of the Clearwater, which merge in Kooskia. From there, the Clearwater flows eastward, gaining momentum as it picks up the waters of the North Fork of the Clearwater not far below Dworshak Dam and Reservoir. The Clearwater ultimately ends in Lewiston, where it empties into the Snake River on the Oregon state line, just as the Snake River emerges from Hells Canyon.
Steelhead, Salmon and More
The Clearwater River offers numerous fish species of interest to anglers. Its upper forks and tributaries harbor westslope cutthroat trout, and portions of the river are home to whitefish and smallmouth bass. But it is known most of all for steelhead. The river receives two separate steelhead runs every year, known as the A-run and the B-run
- A-run steelhead are first to arrive. A few show up as early as July, and the run peaks in August and September. Made up of smaller, younger fish, the A-run consists of steelhead making their first return to the Clearwater River after spending a year in the ocean. Most individuals weigh 4 to 6 pounds.
- B-run steelhead follow on the heels of their smaller relatives. Made up of larger fish that have spent two or three years in the ocean, the B-run typically gets going in September, with prime conditions available through Thanksgiving and many fish staying in the river as late as March. B-run steelhead commonly weigh 10 to 14 pounds, and occasionally more than 20 pounds.
There’s a spring Chinook salmon run in the Clearwater River as well, with many fish weighing 15 to 20 pounds, and some even larger. The Idaho Department of Fish & Game sets the season and quota every year, but it typically begins in May and lasts into July. A modest number of Chinook and coho salmon are occasionally caught in fall as well.
Tactics and Fly Selection
Fly fishing with two-handed spey rods is the most popular approach to the Clearwater River. Typical spey rods are 14 or 15 feet long, and most anglers favor floating line most of the time. The Clearwater is a broad and often deceptively shallow river, and a spey rod spooled with floating line generally gives you the best presentation more often than not.
That being said, fish with what makes you comfortable. There’s nothing wrong with a traditional 7w or 8w one-handed fly rod if that’s what works for you.
Fly selection, most of the time, is pretty basic. Steelhead strike more out of aggression than hunger for the most part, so it’s not so much about “matching the hatch” as it is triggering a fish to follow and strike. A lot of anglers find success with traditional spey flies, wake flies, smaller marabou flies and hairwings. Sises 4 through 6 work in most situations, but smaller size 8 flies are good when the water is clearest. Many of the best patterns feature combinations of black, green, purple and chartreuse.
Top fly patterns include:
- Green Butt Skunk
- Lady Caroline
- Purple Peril
- Green Ant
- Nite Dancer
- Purple Green Butt
- Foam Walker
- Rust Bomber
- Muddler Minnow
Swinging is usually an effective tactic; this approach involves using a spey rod to cast a fly across the current at a downstream angle of around 70 to 80 degrees—90 degrees being directly across—and letting the current “swing” the fly down and around. Steelhead often strike the fly on the upswing. Strike indicator fishing also works well at times.
Also worth keeping in mind is that the Clearwater river is very accommodating for walking and wading, except when the water is high, as it frequently is in spring. Drift boat fishing isn’t necessary, but it is an option, and many local guides use drift boats not only to reach off-the-beaten-path spots, but also to employ tactics like side-drifting and back-trolling.
For those in pursuit of cutthroat trout on the Clearwater River system, traditional fly fishing tactics imitating mayflies (Blue-Winged Olives, Pale Morning Duns and Yellow Quills especially) are effective. There are also some good Stonefly hatches as well as October Caddis, with the best fishing being farther up the North Fork of the Clearwater and its tributaries.
Best Season for Clearwater River Fly Fishing
Fall generally provides the greatest number of steelhead and the most reliably good river conditions on the Clearwater River. Winter and spring fishing can be very good too, but conditions vary. In spring, runoff from snowmelt can make the river unfishable at times, and wading is often impossible this time of year.
Summer also offers some good fishing, especially for anglers who don’t mind targeting smaller A-Run steelhead and cutthroats. Many A-run steelhead seek refuge in the cool water that flows from the base of the Dworshak Dam in summer, so focus your efforts on this lower stretch of the North Fork and the few miles below its confluence with the main stem.
Accessing the Clearwater River
One of the reasons the Clearwater River is so popular—besides the quality of its fishing—is because it’s exceptionally easy to access. The entire river is paralleled by U.S. Highway 12. Starting at the Snake River confluence in Lewiston, the highway hugs the riverbank all the way up to the meeting of the Middle and South Forks (from there it continues eastward along the Middle Fork and then the Lochsa River, offering great access to both).
There are no “secret spots” on the Clearwater. The best way to explore it is to drive Route 12 and stop when you see fishy-looking water. Several public access sites are available along the way, including at Upper and Lower Hog Island, Harpers Bend, Pink House Recreation Site, Greer, Fivemile Creek and Long Camp.
Many access sites are overseen by the Bureau of Land Management, and the BLM offers this handy guide to finding your way along the river.