North 40 Fly Shop eMagazine February 2016 | Page 36

Fishing on the
Clearwater River in
BY JOE O'BRIEN

Overview
The Clearwater River holds many of its spring spawning fish all winter long, making
fishing opportunities available during good weather. Luckily, Lewiston, ID, is warmer
that most of the rest of Idaho during the winter months. Warm winds blow out of
the south west called Chinooks. These winds rip up through the Columbia Basin
and push into Lewiston during the winter. During these times, even a slight raise in
water temperature and flow move fish into new water. These are the key times to
focus on fishing the Clearwater during the winter and early spring. If the weather
remains cold, the fish tend to get a little stale resting in the same water for long
periods of time. As winter turns into spring, there are a lot of fish that push up
the snake and into the Clearwater. While these fish aren’t fresh from the ocean,
they are still biters once they get into the river.

Forks
There are three forks to the Clearwater River: The North Fork, the Middle
Fork/Main Stem, and the South Fork. The South Fork is the most popular
for spring anglers looking to target big fish in small water. Meanwhile, the
North Fork flows out of Dworshak Dam at Orofino, ID. This short stretch
of river is warmer and has cleaner