Lewiston, Idaho Fishing Report 08.22.19
The weather is still hot, but fishing has been excellent in our area. The rivers are low and warming up. Trout rivers are still producing great fish. With this heat, you will still want to fish early morning and late in the evening and give the fish a break during the afternoon when the weather starts to heat up. Bass rivers are still producing great fish right in town.
Current Conditions
Lochsa River near Lowell, ID - The river flow is at 496 cfs, so the river is down from last week. Reports say it's been fishing great higher up. Hoppers are out in full swing, but parachute Adams and royal coachmen are still producing. Baitfish patterns for streamers have been effective as well. With this heat, you will want to get on the river early and then switch it up to streamers or nymphs in the afternoon. However, it would be best to give the fish a break from the heat and have lunch or go explore. Get back to it in the evening when temperatures are bearable, and have fun!
NF Clearwater River near Canyon Ranger Station, ID - With the river at 864 cfs, fishing has been great. Like last wee,k hoppers, stimulators, and parachute Adams have been the go-to flies. You will want to focus on the riffles where the water is more oxygenated. Get to the water early, then when the day heats up go explore the great sandy beaches and take a swim. Get back to it within the last few hours of the day.
Grande Ronde River at Troy, OR - The flows are consistent at 645 cfs. This means, great bass fishing all day! Deep pools or any rock, log structures produce bigger fish. Start the day early hitting topwater poppers. Towards 10 o’clock, warm weather will push the bass down so change it up with some streamers. I had great luck this week on olive baitfish patterns and olive or orange poppers.
Snake River near Anatone, WA - With flows at 16,900 cfs, the Snake might be off and on in some places. With the recent mudslide at Riggins, this could push some of the bass from eating. In other places, it could have kicked a lot of food up and bass could be eating. However, the water is still not totally clear. Baitfish patterns have been really producing. I had the best luck on gray sclupin patterns. Let the fly sink a bit then start stripping!
Clearwater River at Spalding, ID - The flows are at 9,180 cfs. With the recent 100-plus degree days, fishing during the early morning hours will be your best bet. So, get on the river and enjoy some fishing before the heat starts to set in! Swinging for steelhead will start to pick up more and more as we head into September. There are several boats out and they're heading up the river. Tie on a fly with confidence and get out!
Match the Hatch
For the NF of the Clearwater and the Lochsa, you will want to use parachute Adams, royal Wulff, or a purple haze. Also, terrestrials like the Morrish hopper, ant and beetle patterns are killing it right now. On the Grande Ronde and Snake Rivers, you will want to use olive streamers like sculpins or bass turds. For poppers, orange is my go-to color but I've also had good luck on olive too. On the Clearwater River for steelhead using small natural patterns are still the ticket. The steelhead coachman, lady Carolyn, and green butt skunk are some of our go-to flies for this.
Need to fill the box before you go? Order flies online here.
Tips & Techniques
Focus on the riffles and eddies with a delicate presentation on the dries, fish might be a little leader shy. Put on a hopper, or a hopper dropper setup with your favorite nymph. Focus on grass near the bank when fishing hoppers. With streamers, olive and black are the colors to use. Try casting towards the banks down from you and strip away. For steelhead, Scandi with float or intermediate poly leader, tie on a fly and get out there and have fun! Tight lines!
Did you know...
We are doing a FREE Fly Fishing 101 class every Saturday at 10 a.m. For more information give us a call at the Lewiston North 40 Fly Shop: (208)746-1368. UPCOMING: We will also be starting our fly tying classes this fall!
See past reports from the Lewiston region here, or click here to view all northwest regional reports.