Earlier this year, both Idaho Fish and Game (IDF&G) and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) predicted low steelhead returns. The good news is that this year's steelhead A-run is the biggest in the last 10 years. The bad news is that if you compared the 2025 Steelhead A-Run to the previous 10 years, this year would be the worst. A telling example of how much our steelhead returns have changed.  One bright side is that 44% of the steelhead run last year and this year are wild fish, which is about the 10 year average and slightly better than the 20 year average.  Here is an article by Idaho Fish and Game about the early A-Run. A more in depth update is expected by the end of August.

One good thing about dams is they provide points to count fish passage, which is very helpful to track the size and progress of the steelhead run (once steelhead make it over Lower Granite, the last dam on the lower Snake River--below Lewiston--there are no in-river counting stations). It is worth learning to use the DART Adult Fish Passage webpage, which is where many of the graphs in this article were created (see the resources section). Here is a graph that shows steelhead over Bonneville Dam, the first dam on the Columbia River. It compares the 10 year average to last year and this year's run. The graph after it compares them to the previous 10 years--you can see how things have changed. The blue line shows this year's run through mid-August and the orange shows our the 2024 run.  The green line show the historical 10 year averages.  I've added a red line at the bottom that shows the general A vs B steelhead run timing.

But let's focus on the good news--there are lots of steelhead to go chase this Fall! Now for a little on the when, where, and how. In this article I’m going to give some background on the steelhead’s lifecycle, walk you through the migration of the A run to give you some good ideas about where to fish when, and then talk some about fly choice and presentation. The B run fish haven’t entered the Columbia in big numbers yet so it’s too early to know how that run will be, but these concepts all apply to B run fish as well.

STEELHEAD LIFECYCLE

Steelhead are anadromous: born in freshwater, migrate to sea as smolts, feed and grow (LARGE!), then return to spawn—and unlike salmon that die after spawning, steelhead can survive to return again the next year (keep this factoid in mind when you read the section on choosing a fly). Wild steelhead typically spend 2–3 years in freshwater before smolting and the annual wild smolt output varies with spawner abundance and freshwater conditions. Hatchery programs rear fish to smolt size on a set schedule and release fairly consistent numbers each spring.

Steelhead have many life histories and spend different amounts of time in the ocean and migrate at different times. A-run steelhead typically spend 1 year in the ocean and enter the Columbia river first, typically starting in early June and going through the end of August. The B-run typically spends 2 years in the ocean and enters the Columbia river after the A-run, with some overlap, generally from mid-August to the end of October. While most of the steelhead runs each stay in ocean the same amount of time, there is a subset of each run that stays in the ocean an extra year, which makes for an even bigger fish! Last year, 2 ocean fish were an unusually large part of the A-run. This year early PIT tag data looks like a good third or more of the A-run is 2 ocean fish, so we will again have some bigger than normal steelhead.  Here is a good article from IDF&G that talks more about the A vs B run steelhead.

TIMING THE RUN

To catch a steelhead you have to find where they are, which changes as the season progresses and steelhead migrate upstream to their natal areas to spawn. The river is their highway, and their journey up the Columbia river starts in June-August and they will spawn in May: That's nearly a year in fresh water! And for those steelhead that spawn upstream of Stanley, their migration will take them over 900 miles! 

On their journey, steelhead swim around 4 dams on the Columbia river and 4 dams on the lower Snake river before they make it to a free flowing river at Lewiston.  Travel up the Columbia goes pretty quickly as the historic big rapids are essentially gone—drowned by reservoirs.  

Thermal Blocks

[edit after IDFG update comes out and add relevant info. ]

Two things will slow down or stop their migration. 1) A thermal block of water that is warmer than 72°F or colder than 40°F;  and 2) Flows that are too low to safely move upstream.  Here is a graph of fish passage and water temperature at the John Day Dam (taken from a different year) that shows how fish passage stops when water gets too warm and how it resumes when the water temperatures drop.

Once they enter the Main Snake river above Lewiston, the difficulty of travel increases. River gradients get steeper and the rapids get harder for them to negotiate, which slows their progress.  And as water temperatures drop, so does their metabolism which reduces their migration speed.  While migrating, Steelhead try to take the easiest path up a river and like to travel up secondary seams of the river, often close to the bank. Sometimes you will see them rolling/porpoising along the surface, almost like they are visually using the bank as their guide.  Studies have shown that steelhead will travel at night, but tend to hold up below navigational hazards, like a rapid, and resume moving when there is enough light for them to safely negotiate the hazard (remember this factoid, as it will come up later).

While traveling the highway they pause to rest.  In July and August, water temperatures on much of the Columbia river are near the upper thermal limits for steelhead and can stall their upstream migration. Steelhead often seek thermal refuge at the mouths of cooler tributaries and frequently swim up a few miles into those tributaries to cool off (yet another factoid to remember.)

Other classic resting areas are: Below side tributaries; Below rapids (big and small) or even river-wide shallow gravel bars; Tailouts above those rapids; Large boulder fields and ledge-rock.  Years ago a friend and I  strapped a GoPro to some bait-divers and backed the camera down some runs on the Clearwater river. We typically saw no fish in the main parts of the run (where you typically swing a fly) but when the camera went over some ledge rock we would often see fish holding there.  The lesson: STRUCTURE = HOLDING FISH. NO STRUCTURE = TRANSIENT FISH THAT ARE ON THE MOVE.

1) June - September

During this time the A-run steelhead travel 325 miles up the Columbia, then 140 miles up the lower Snake river to Lewiston. They start arriving in good numbers at Lewiston by the end of August. Once steelhead make it to Lewiston, their migration gets stalled by the warmer (over 72°F) water temperatures of the Snake river coming through Hells Canyon. During this time, many steelhead move up into cooler water of the lower Clearwater river, which typically is running in the mid 50°s--thanks to the cold water coming out of Dworshak reservoir at Orofino. These few weeks while steelhead are holding over in the lower Clearwater can provide a good opportunity to go fishing—although be careful as the Clearwater is typically running high at that time of year to help cool off the Columbia river for fish migration. Club member Jeff Jones and I managed to fish a couple of days the last week of August and caught some nice fish! [add photos + details]

[Possibly add something about the lower snake river thermal block if it is still in place, and/or if IDF&G's update talks about it]

2) September - November

In early September the Snake river cools enough for steelhead to resume their migration upstream, and it is GAME ON for fishing the Snake River.  Once steelhead start up the Snake river, they have many possible destinations up different tributaries.  In this article I am talking about their journey to the furthest destination in the upper Salmon river, but many will take a different path and go up tributaries like the Grande Ronde, Imnaha, Little Salmon, the South Fork or Middle Fork of the Salmon rivers.  Here is a map that shows where A-run steelhead are headed on the Snake and Salmon rivers (in Idaho).

It is about 50 miles to get to the Salmon river, or 110 miles to get to Hells Canyon Dam. Historically steelhead swam up the snake much further including up the Boise river, but sadly, the Hells Canyon dam does not have a fish ladder.  Once in the Salmon river, steelhead have another 85 miles to get to Riggins, and they typically show up in force there in early to mid-October. From Riggins they have another 150 miles to get to the upper Salmon river below North Fork Idaho where most of them will pause their migration until Spring as the main Salmon river above North Fork (after the middle fork and north fork flows are gone) is too shallow in the Fall for them to feel comfortable moving any further. This causes steelhead to accumulate in the 40 miles between the Middle Fork and North Fork of the Salmon river, which can make for good fishing until the water temps drop.

3) December - April

Over the winter, steelhead will hold in the deeper slower water stretch below North Fork called "Deadwater". After ice-out in late winter, steelhead will resume their journey to their spawning grounds. From the North Fork it is 86 miles to Challis and another 55 miles to Stanley. Depending on the ice out date, steelhead typically make it to Stanley the last week of March.

One closing note on this migration example. As steelhead find the tributary of their natal water, if flows are low then they will often hold in the main-stem river above or below it and wait for increased flows in the spring to make their last mad-dash to their spawning grounds.

WATER FLOWS AND TEMPERATURE

Two things that can make or break your steelhead trip are water flows and water temperatures. I have had seasons when the run was below average but we have good migration conditions that made for excellent fishing. And there have been times when there were excellent runs but we had poor migration conditions and fishing wasn't very good.

Steelhead are cold blooded, and just like trout their behavior will change as water temperatures rise and fall.  Steelhead are on a journey to their home waters and will continue moving until water temperatures drop below 40 degrees or they run into low water conditions.  Steelhead are also influenced by increases in water flows after a rainstorm (which we call a Freshette).  Freshettes cause steelhead's metabolism to rev-up and makes them want to move upstream and increases their interest in your fly! Conversely, extended periods of low flows causes their metabolism to drop, they tend to hold and can become "stale" and less interested in your fly.

One of the things to watch out for is the "dreaded drop" of water temperatures in late Fall--usually November--where we get a cold snap and water temperatures drop sharply below 40 degrees. This signals to steelhead it is time to prepare to over-winter. It takes them a couple of weeks to acclimate to the colder water temperatures after which they are again more receptive to your fly.  During this time just an increase of a degree or two can increase the fish's metabolism enough to get him to take your fly. Thus, this time of year it can pay to focus your fishing on the last part of the day when water is the warmest.

For example, last year was the best B run in many years, but we had a dry October and the Clearwater ran low for much of the Fall and steelhead didn't move upstream very well. The BVFF Clearwater outing 40 miles up the Clearwater by Orofino, and we had very slow fishing. The day after the outing, Brian Martin and Dave Asker went out with a guide who wisely took them to fish the river closer to Lewiston and Dave hooked into a BIG B RUN fish. Given the conditions, I think we all would have been better off taking the time to drive downstream to find fish.

Later that season I was fishing on the upper Clearwater around Kamiah. Fishing was decent, but then we had a cold snap and fishing turned OFF.  Jeff Jones and I decided to go downstream and fish below Orofino, as the water temperatures were warmer there (because of the influence of Dworashak outflow). And it paid off with this nice fish! Here is a graph that shows the "Dreaded Drop" last fall, and how water temperatures are warmer below Orofino/Dworshak.

THE DREADED DROP

CHOOSING AND PRESENTING YOUR FLY

There is much debate about why steelhead take a fly. A few years ago, steelhead guide Tom Larimer wrote the excellent article Why Steelhead Eat Flies in Fly Fisherman Magazine, which is worth reading. In it, Tom talks about the “Chase Response”, the “Curiosity Response” and the “Food and Nourishment Response”.  Here are some of my thoughts on Why Steelhead Eat Flies and some important lessons I've learned about presentation.

1) The Food / Nourishment Response

I think the food/nourishment response is under-rated, as most anglers believe steelhead have stopped eating. As I mentioned earlier, Steelhead have a different lifecycle than salmon that allow them to return to the ocean after spawning vs dying like salmon. This makes them genetically programmed to eat along their long journey.  For fly fishermen, the food/nourishment response is something we can use to our advantage by using food-like flies. Especially if we target water where food items are available for steelhead to eat, such as below riffle heads and side streams.

One early experience that got me thinking about "food flies" for steelhead is fishing the Clearwater during the summer while I was going to school at UofI for my Masters in the mid 90s (which is when I really got bitten by the steelhead bug).  I was out trout fishing with a friend, tumbling and swinging a woolly worm through riffles.  We were catching good numbers of trout and then WHAM! I had a big grab that broke me off.  I tied on heavier tippet and a fresh woolly worm and soon had a hot bright steelhead on!

I know many steelhead anglers who have a favorite fly and fish it all day long, all season long. This is an efficient strategy as it minimizes down-time, but I feel it is short sited. In order take the fly, the fish must see it. Underwater visibility varies throughout the day, and seasonally with rainstorm events. Purple works well in low light and is a great first and last light color to use, but it might not be the best color when the sun gets overhead or the water is off-colored. Trout guide and streamer expert Kelly Galloup has a great streamer searching strategy that varies colors to find what fish are going to react to. If he gets no action in 15 minutes, he changes flies. From bright to dull, flashy to natural, etc. While I think switching flies for steelhead every 15 minutes may not be appropriate, I do think that switching it up is worthwhile. As a reinforcing example, early in my steelhead fishing years,  I spent a lot of time pulling plugs. We would run 4 plugs out of the driftboat, each a different color. When one color got bit, we would change out other plugs to that color and then BAM! The other plugs start getting some action.  I had the same experience tossing spinners--matching the color to the light and water conditions was key to consistently hooking up. 

A few food items to keep in mind as you choose your fly.

• Minnows and small baitfish are common in riffles--a good case for a muddler minnow or a Green Butt Skunk. 
  
  
• If your river has stoneflies of any kind, FISH THEM! Dead drift or swing a Prince Nymph. Some rivers get a short-wing "mutant stone" that is primarily nocturnal and hatches during low light in early Fall. A great reason to tie on a tan foam skater at last light.
  
  
• October caddis are common on many steelhead streams and make a good skater--especially at last light. 
  
  
• If you happened to be fishing water that has spawning chinook salmon, such as the Clearwater in late October and November. On years when there are a lot of chinook, steelhead can get keyed into Chinook eggs. It pays to fish an egg sucking leech during this time!  
  
  
• Several times in the spring I have had steelhead key in on a March Brown hatch.  Be prepared with some olive-brown soft hackle flies.
  

2) Curiosity and Chase Response

In addition to the food/nourishment response, try to use the steelhead’s curiosity and chase instincts to your advantage. I feel like the Steelhead's curiosity response to attractor-style flies is similar to a cutthroat trout, which are notorious for liking colorful flies.  The cutthroat's "wide search engine" for food stems from living in waters that often do not have prolific bug hatches, so they learn to investigate anything that looks like food.  I think steelhead are similar because they are constantly swimming upstream into new watersheds with different conditions and have to be adaptable in what they eat.

I have talked to several steelhead guides who describe watching steelhead follow their client’s fly, almost like the fish are in a trance. If the client mends their line during this time and the fly pauses, then the steelhead stops following it. Steelhead guide Dennis Dickson described presenting your fly like pulling yarn across the carpet in front of a kitten, who would watch the yarn intently, but quickly lose interest if you stopped moving it. Dec Hogan described watching the reaction of steelhead in a holding pen as he flipped pennies into the tank. He said the first penny got a number of steelhead to come investigate. The second penny only a couple of fish came to look, and by the third penny, no steelhead reacted. These are a great examples to think about as you present your fly. You want the fish to see your fly and be curious.

I have been guided by Tom Larimer and he emphasized for me to think about 1) Where the fish might be (along a traveling seam, in front of a boulder, etc); 2) Where my fly was going to land; and 3) Work on activating my fly (bring it to life with motion) where the fish would see it. This is similar to the Leisenring Lift presentation where you let the current activate the fly and let it rise and escape from the trout, which triggers their chase instinct. Tom taught me to focus on actively presenting my fly to the fishy-zones vs just blindly bombing out long casts and letting them swing all the way across. I’ve used this strategy quite successfully at times working a traveling seam or by splatting down a big fly near boulders at the head of the run and then swinging the fly away. The SPLAT gets the steelhead’s attention (like a small fish that rose to the surface) and the fleeing motion triggers their chase response.

One other presentation aspect that Tom taught me is to think about where the sun is and to not present your fly such that the steelhead have to look into the sun to see or follow it. Look for runs to fish where you have some shade, or the sun is to the side or behind the fish. That will help them see and track the fly. Another good option when the sun is bright overhead is to fish choppy water that breaks the sun's intensity, or strap on a sink tip and fish deeper water.

3) Late Season

After ice out and steelhead resume their migration upstream, their behavior changes to be focused on finding a mate, fending off rival steelhead and procreating. At this time they are less likely to forage for food and more likely to react to an intruder invading their space. Swinging a larger profile bright pink fly in front of a ruddy buck can result in a smashing grab! Although they aren't actively feeding as they approach spawning time, they still will respond to an egg pattern drifted into their lie, as steelhead and salmon have a natural instinct to pick up that egg and remove it from their nesting area. And while they have the egg in their mouth… SET THE HOOK!!!

4) Look For Rest Stops

Steelhead are much less likely to take a fly when they are on the move. While they’re traveling they prioritize miles, not mouthfuls. I like to think about it like standing on the interstate, waving a free twinkie at a truck driver who is zooming by. They love twinkies, but they're not going to stop the truck for one. On the other hand, if you try to hand out free twinkies at a rest-stop you will have much better luck! Steelhead are the same way. Present your fly at a rest-stop where the fish has paused, and you're more likely to find a willing fish. Key spots to focus on are at riffle heads and tailouts—especially above and below a bit of a rapid at first or last light; Boulders and ledge-rock; and my favorite--below a side tributary. Side tributaries are a magic spot because they bring in cool, fresh water that steelhead want to stop and smell to determine if it's their natal water (there are numerous studies that document this behavior). And the water below tributaries tends to have a lot of natural food items, perfect for imitating with your fly!

5) First / Last Light

Time of day matters for a steelhead fly fisherman. While a gear fisherman can work a team of diving plugs along a traveling seam and get an aggressive response from the steelhead in the middle of the day, it is easy for them to ignore our fly. Traveling steelhead will accumulate through the night below a rapid and wait for morning to navigate it. Fishing these spots at first (and last) light means you have a better chance to present your fly to a resting fish-- And a resting fish is a much more willing target than a traveling fish. Once they are on the move you have to play the game of finding them and hoping they are resting and not moving.

This point has been driven home by my experiences fishing on the Grande Ronde in the fall, where setting up camp below a rapid has paid major dividends. Fishing is great at first light as the steelhead that have stacked up and rested below are ready for a quick breakfast before they resume their upstream journey.  It has also been a very observable phenomenon in the Spring on the upper Salmon River by Stanley and the upper South Fork of the Clearwater river, as you spend a lot of time walking the banks and spotting steelhead to fish to.  Early in the morning you can sit on a high bank above a rapid and watch the "targets" appear in the tail-out below.

GET OUT THERE!

I hope this article has motivated you to get out and chase some Steelhead this Fall. Consider joining BVFF’s Steelhead Outing on the Clearwater river, October 15-19.

When you go to tie on your fly, think about the water you are fishing, and Why a steelhead might take it.  Do more than just "Huck and Hope"! Remember to target resting water; Cast deliberately and fish your fly. And make sure to check out Scott Blackhurst’s article on tying the Green Butt Skunk. It’s a confidence fly for myself and many other anglers. Tie some up and get out there! Remember to keep your hooks sharp, and keep your fish wet.

RESOURCES

Here are some good resources to help you prepare for going fishing.

• Joe Dupont from the Lewiston Idaho Fish and Game office just released his fall Steelhead update. <Add when available, or link last years  https://idfg.idaho.gov/article/idahos-steelhead-update-8282024>
  
  
• As I mentioned earlier, the DART Adult Fish Passage website is a great place to check on the steelhead and salmon run status (https://www.cbr.washington.edu/dart/query/adult_graph_text).
  
  
• IDF&G has a nice summary graph of steelhead counts .
  
  
• One way to get an idea of where the steelhead run is at, is to use Idaho Fish and Game's steelhead harvest report. It will show you where people are fishing, what the catch rates are, and give you water temperatures. In the spring you can also check IDF&G's hatchery return page to get an idea of when steelhead start showing up there.
  
  
• IDF&G's Salmon river region has some great information about steelhead fishing on the upper Salmon river. Their Steelhead Pocket Guide is one of the best resources I have ever seen on the subject. . It is also worth following them on Facebook as they are good about posting updates 
  
  
• It helps to check water flows and temperatures before you go. BVFF has a good "Steelhead Waters" page that shows you current and forecast flows. Paying attention to river flows is one key to successful steelheading. Here is something I wrote about Hydrographs for Steelhead in a Hackle Bender many years ago. 

Some books that will elevate your steelhead fishing game. Yes, some of them are focused at gear fishing. Ignore that aspect--they have key insights into steelhead fishing.

1. Dec Hogan's "A Passion For Steelhead". Read it cover to cover, then read it again!
   
   

2. John Larison's book, "The Complete Steelheader", will up your game! Some of the best information on advanced presentations you will find. 

3. Lani Waller's "A Steelheader's Way". This is where it all started. Read it--it will take you back in time.
   

4. Boise's own (and friend of BVFF) Rick Williams' book "Managed Extinction" is a MUST READ to understand what has happened to Steelhead and Salmon in the Pacific Northwest. It's jaw-dropping and heart-breaking at times, but a rare look into the system that is failing our fish.  Here is a short review of that book.

5. Bill Herzog's "Color Guide to Steelhead Drift Fishing". This book has one of the best descriptions of how steelhead behave in different water temperatures than anything else I've ever read.
   
   
6. Dave Mangers book "Striking Steelhead". This is a plugging book, but written about fishing the Clearwater river. There are some key lessons and a few secrets in here worth your time.