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Dworshak Reservoir Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Fifty-four miles of flooded canyon: Dworshak grows Idaho’s biggest smallmouth and hides kokanee under 600 feet of quiet.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
1,140 cfs
Air / High
67 / 71 F
Wind
NW 5 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 13340600, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Dworshak Reservoir sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. The river is running 1,140 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind NW around 5 mph, rising pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 71. Water sits around 73 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Rainbow troutGood

Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Largemouth bassFair

Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

CrappieSlow

Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 78 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from NF Clearwater River near Canyon Ranger Station.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 13340600.

7549061,0581,140 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp67 F
High / Low71 / 51 F
WindNW 5-6 mph
Pressure1014.0 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain4% cloud, 86%
Sunrise / Sunset06:08 / 19:18
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 71/51 F, wind 6 mph, rain 86%

Slow. High rain chance; fish the front edge before it arrives.

Species guide

The species that matter on Dworshak Reservoir: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

When to come: the Dworshak Reservoir calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Smallmouth bass
Rainbow trout
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Dworshak Reservoir today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 69 F, wind to 5 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 73 F, wind to 9 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 82 F, wind to 11 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Idaho requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Idaho license. Generous smallmouth harvest encouraged under current rules; kokanee limits vary by cycle; bull trout always released. Check IDFG.

Access

Big Eddy and Bruces Eddy ramps near the dam, Dent Acres, Grandad Bridge, and Freeman Creek (Dworshak State Park).

About this water

A 54-mile, 16,000-acre Corps reservoir on the North Fork Clearwater River, Clearwater County, Idaho, behind the 717-foot Dworshak Dam.

Fishing Dworshak Reservoir: the full guide

The long lake

Dworshak Dam plugged the North Fork Clearwater in 1973 with one of the tallest straight-axis dams on earth, backing a 54-mile reservoir into roadless canyon country. Access is famously thin: a handful of ramps, then wilderness: which is exactly why the fishery thrives. Smallmouth bass here reach state-record class feeding on kokanee, the kokanee themselves school by the million, and bull trout patrol the depths on their own protected schedule.

Smallmouth with shoulders

The smallmouth program is Idaho’s best: rocky points, slide chutes and timber edges hold fish from ice-out, with May-June the magic window as pre-spawn bass push shallow: jerkbaits, tubes and swimbaits along the banks. Summer fish follow kokanee schools: fish 20-40 feet with drop-shots off the main points at dawn. The kokanee diet grows six-pound-plus fish: the state record came from these banks.

Kokanee by the school

Kokanee are the reservoir’s engine: troll small dodger-and-hoochie rigs at 1.0-1.5 mph, following the schools from 15 feet in May to 60-plus by August. Limits are generous when cycles are up: check current counts. The drawdown (up to 80 feet by fall for salmon flows downstream) reshapes access late season: the fish just compress deeper along the old river channel.

Canyon logistics

Ramps at Big Eddy, Bruces Eddy, Dent Acres and Grandad cover the lower half: above that it is boat-camp country, with maintained boat-in campsites (Dworshak State Park’s Freeman Creek is the developed hub). Wind funnels the canyon afternoons, and the drawdown leaves long walks at primitive launches by September. Orofino is the supply town: fuel up, the lake has no marinas upstream.

Common questions

How big do the smallmouth get?

The kokanee forage grows true giants: the state record (over 9 pounds) came from Dworshak, and five-pound fish are a realistic season goal.

What about the drawdown?

Summer flow augmentation can drop the lake 80 feet by September: ramps shorten, fish deepen, but the bite holds. Check current elevation before towing.

Is boat camping the move?

It is the Dworshak experience: reserve or claim a boat-in site, wake up over a kokanee school and beat every trailer to the morning bite.

Is fishing good at Dworshak Reservoir right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

North Fork Clearwater River30 miLochsa River42 miClearwater River44 miSouth Fork Clearwater River45 miSaint Joe River46 miSelway River47 mi
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