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Available Fishing Guide:
Website: Darrell & Dads Family Guide Service

Phone: (509) 687-0709

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Clearwater River Report
Nez Perce County, ID

Photos

Details

01/16/2017
Steelhead
All Day
01/17/2017
3
3947

This past week we had a few days of really great fishing and a few days we struggled. The weather this past week was particularly brutal and the days we struggled we were ultimately just fighting the cold and wind. Most of our fish this week were caught side drifting cured eggs and pegged corkies. We fish pegged corkies instead of beads as the rig seems to drift better than a hard plastic bead. During the frigid temps we also like to back troll divers and Shrimp and plugs. This give us a chance to slowly present our baits and keep ourselves warm by the heater.

With the weather improving drastically this week we should see some fantastic fishing. There are an absolute ton of fish in the Clearwater system and fishing should be very good now through March. The last two weeks of January and the first two weeks of February are my absolute favorite time to be fishing the Clearwater! Out of all the 20+ fish days I have had 80% have happened during this time frame. My boat has some openings over the next few weeks and we would love to get you out to see some of this fantastic fishing.

All our Clearwater trips are done as employees of Reel Time Fishing and all final booking will be done through Reel Time. Give us a call or text at 208-861-0654 for availability

Fishing the Columbia and Snake Rivers for Salmon, Steelhead, and Sturgeon

Kyle Jones Sportfishing

Official Digital Anglers Sponsor


Comments

riverhunter
1/17/2017 5:33:00 PM
I don't mean this as disrespect and hope you don't take it the wrong way as I am really just curious but the fish being so darqk how does the meat cut and would you be able to share a pic of the meat next time? I have been wanting to try the Clearwater but concerned that with the fish so dark are they worth to keep.
Kyle Jones
1/17/2017 6:00:00 PM
These fish are indeed dark, and are really best suited for the smoker. These fish are 500 miles from the ocean if you are looking for great table fare you are better off fishing here in October or November, but these fish fight great and are still full of energy. I feel too often people pass up on great fishing because they are concerned about how dark a fish is. No disrespect taken, but these fish are bad ass and I will take the opportunity to catch Steelhead that average 12-15 pounds any day over worrying about meat quality.
riverhunter
1/20/2017 4:10:00 PM
Thanks for your reply. Steelhead fight great in my opinion no matter what state of maturity they are in. Full of energy unlike their salmon cousins that tend to lose their fight the closer they are to spawning. Hopefully I can make it out there in the fall and try my luck with those beauties once again thanks and hope you continue to keep them reports coming.
First Light
1/20/2017 5:42:00 PM
Riverhunter. Click on the link above for Clearwater River reports, scroll down to the report by First Light. I too thought theses fish looked dark and questioned the quality for edibility. We took home the 8 fish you see in the photos. As of today we have eaten half of our catch and tonight we're having Steelhead Crunch Pie for dinner. These fish taste great! My fishing partner put some of his through the smoker and said they were tasty. We went fishing the last week of October so that does make a difference, just as Kyle says. We fished above Orofino, from a drift boat, in FAST water, and it was just about all we could do to fight and net these hogs!
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Available Guide

Available Fishing Guide:
Website: Darrell & Dads Family Guide Service

Phone: (509) 687-0709