Clearwater River

A renowned 74.8-mile steelhead and salmon river famous for its large B-run steelhead - ocean-run rainbow trout that often reach 10-13 lbs. The state record steelhead (30.13 lbs) was caught here in 1973. Big Chinook salmon fresh from the ocean near Lewiston.

Species: Steelhead, Chinook Salmon, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Mountain Whitefish. Difficulty: intermediate. Some experience pays off here.

Best timing: Fall and Winter and Spring. Spring fishing keys on warming water and emerging insects. Fall is prime — heavy feeding before winter, fewer crowds. Winter access is for dedicated anglers; ice conditions vary year to year.

Regulations: Check current steelhead seasons and regulations. Always confirm with the current IDFG rule book before fishing.

Clearwater context

The Clearwater drainage is steelhead country — specifically B-run fish that spend an extra year at sea and arrive at trophy sizes from October through March. Dworshak Reservoir holds the state-record smallmouth and an outsized kokanee fishery. Above the reservoir, the North Fork stays cold and productive year-round; the Lochsa and Selway feed in as wild and scenic westslope cutthroat strongholds. Lewiston, Orofino, and Kamiah are the staging towns.

Plan for the experience level the fishery rewards.