Mouth of Little Salmon
June 2008: Chinook salmon have arrived at Riggins Idaho and along with the salmon so have the salmon anglers. As the salmon are staging at the mouth of the Little Salmon River waiting for the water temperatures to rise before beginning their migration up the Little Salmon anglers are making the most of this opportunity lining the bank and hoping to entice a chinook to their line. Although the river is crowded at many of the popular fishing wholes anglers are still doing very well and many are going home with their limit of salmon for the day! The Little Salmon is still running high and the water temperature is still cold enough that many of the salmon are holding in holes just below the mouth of the river. This annual phenomenon of the staging in the Main salmon offer anglers a rare and exciting chance to hook into these majestic fish in numbers that really are not common. They normally stage for a few days however this year with the weather conditions keeping the Little Salmon from warming it is making for great fishing opportunities. Main Salmon River below Riggins While many anglers are joining in with the crowds there are a number of spots available for the angler who is willing to search them out if you are one of those anglers who prefer to have room to fish and time to enjoy the fight against the salmon. Look for seams of water anywhere below Riggins and give them a try it seems that they are stacked in many of the wholes all along the Main Salmon River now as we found out over the last couple of days. Salmon River at Riggins Boat Ramp With a
 little searching and trial and error you will be able to find a whole which is holding good numbers of fish. I expect over the next several days as the temperature rises that they will start moving up the little salmon as well and it to will be offering some great fishing this year. Salmon River below Riggins Boat Ramp Fish on!!!
 
 
 
 
 
 
A Good friend of mine and fishing buddy Randy has a young pup which enjoyed pointing out the fish as we fought to bring them under control. It seemed as though he was enjoying the excitement just as much as we were he didn't let a fish get by that he wasn't right there and keeping an eye on what was going on and he got very up set if we lost the fish before we got it into the net. 
Mouth of Little Salmon River
 
 
 
 
 
 
As you can see Louie was right there making sure that we were taking care of business and not letting the salmon get away before we had it in the net. 
 
 
 
 
 
Some of the Chinook Salmon we caught
Some of the Salmon we were able to get into the net they were averaging 10 to 12lbs and were 30 to 32 inches long however we did get a couple that were over 15lbs my camera batteries died before I was able to get pictures of them though. I know I know another fish story I'll get some fresh batteries before I head back so I can get you some Pictures of the larger fish just to verify this story though.  Grab your Gear and come on down to Riggins and join in the excitement this year is turning out to be a very good year as we hooked over forty salmon between the four of us fishing over to days and this is when the weather was cold and wet now that the weather has straightened up it should only improve.
RR Smith
Salmon, Steelhead, and Trout GearSalmon whole on the Main Salmon River
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chinook Salmon are moving up the Little Salmon River in Idaho

 

June 7th 2008

It seems like it was a long time coming but the salmon have arrived at Riggins and are starting to move up the Little Salmon River. Today June 6th 2008 is the first time since the river blew out three weeks ago that the flows have dropped below the five year mean and while the river is still high we have started to catch some salmon between Riggins and Rapid River. The river temp is still quite cold up it too is starting to come in it was 47 degrees yesterday and while we all now that 50 degrees is when things start to get exciting I expect with the dropping flows and wormer condition the river will be at the 50 degree mark within the next day or two.

 

Most of the salmon are currently being caught at the confluence of the main salmon as the temperature there is above fifty degrees and early in the season this is a normal hot spot for the salmon angler. For those who have a boat capable of handling the higher flows in the river fishing the Salmon River below Riggins is producing some nice numbers over the last two days. Most are either plunking eggs or using quick fish set up with anchovies.

 

For the brave at heart the Little Salmon is producing fish but with the high flows it is like tying into a freight train once the fish makes a move from the slack water into the main current so plan on loosing more fish then you will be able to land. I was fish with a good friend of mine yesterday who hooked into a nice salmon and once it hit the swift water and headed down stream it literally burnt up his drag system before he could do any thing with it. He tried palming the spool and all that did was burn his hand. The fish broke off when it finally came to the end of his line taking his line with it. He will be buying a new reel in the next couple of days as the heat from the drag actually melted most of the drag components to the spool.

 

So if you have been waiting for the run to begin its time to get your gear and get on the river fishing will be getting hot over the next few weeks so don’t miss out come on and join the excitement.

 

Idaho Salmon Fishing Report 6/2/2008

Salmon anglers are Still finding rivers extremely high, muddy and full of woody debris. When water levels recede, catch rates should be very good. However, anglers fishing the North Fork Clearwater River below Dworshak Dam and the Snake River below Hells Canyon Dam are finding good success. Most boat anglers are using diving plugs or jet divers and bait rigs, while bank anglers are plunking bait or using a side plainer.

Salmon Fishing report for Idaho 5/20/2008

Salmon River
Salmon checked [8] for week ending 5/18/2008
We were starting to catch some salmon from Hammer Creek al the way up to Shorts Bar it was slow but when the river blew out late last week fishing came to a stand still between the high flows and the muddy conditions it is just un-fishable at this time. the cooler weather we are having now is starting to lower the river and we are hoping by early next week we will again start picking up some fish.

Little Salmon River to Rapid River
Salmon checked [1] for week ending 5/18/2008
While the river seems to be catching up and dropping Salmon fishing is still only a dream how ever if the cool weather keeps up and the river continues to drop we should stat picking up some salmon. the last I heard was that the hatchery at Rapid River had 30 Salmon so far and they were just starting to catch them before the river blew out. So get your gear ready and we should be seeing some salmon caught by early next week.

Clearwater River
(Railroad Bridge to US Hwy 95 Bridge)
Salmon checked [170] for week ending 5/18/2008
The lower section of the Clear water were starting to produce some nice numbers late last week even a few jacks were being caught, until the river rose to just below flood stage late Saturday. With the high flows and muddy conditions fishing has dropped off as many fisherman are waiting for the river to drop and clear if we do not get a large amount of rain the river should be dropping and clearing some by late next week.

Clearwater River
(US Hwy 95 Bridge to Orofino Bridge)
Salmon checked [23] for week ending 5/18/2008
The salmon started to move up the river and were being caught along this stretch but fishermen had to put in some time in order to hook into a salmon. This section too was just starting to see some fish moving in when the river conditions changed and fishing dropped off. High flow and muddy conditions continue.

North Fork Clearwater River
(Mouth to Dam excluding hatchery perimeter)
Salmon checked [23] for week ending 5/18/2008
This section from the dam to the mouth is still producing some fish but the increased flow from the dam is making fishing difficult, although it is still some what clear. This may be your best bet if you plan on doing some fishing over the Memorial Day Weekend. Unless the River makes a dramatic change in the next couple of days fishing else where may be extremely slow to non-productive.