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Selway River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

A 100-mile Idaho wilderness river with cutthroat, rainbow and bull trout, where float permits come by lottery.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
563 cfs
Air / High
48 / 54 F
Wind
NNW 4 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 13336500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 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.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Selway River is in its winter mode: slow, deep and deliberate. The river is running 563 cfs, steady over the week. Today brings cloud cover, wind NNW around 4 mph, rising pressure near 1017 hPa and a high of 54. Water sits around 47 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:20 AM-11:20 AM and 9:50 PM-11:50 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

SteelheadGood

Winter fish hold in the deeper pools; drift small baits slowly, and watch for brief warm spells, which NYSDEC says bring fresh fish into the creeks.

Chinook salmonSlow

Most adult runs have spawned by now. In Washington, winter and early spring bring blackmouth fishing near the bottom in 60 to 200 feet of water where seasons are open.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 62 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Idaho requires a fishing licence from age 14, from $35.50 for residents. What a Idaho licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing rainbow trout here? Check the size and bag limits with IDFG before you keep anything. The season dates for Idaho, read off the agency, are on the Idaho seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Selway River near Lowell.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 13336500.

522569616563 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 97 years of October 23

At 563 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 13336500 (Selway River near Lowell) is at the 19th percentile for the date: below normal. In half of the 97 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 731 cfs; the highest was 10,700 cfs and the lowest 371 cfs.

p10 494median 731p90 2,010

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 13336500; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp48 F
High / Low54 / 41 F
WindNNW 4-15 mph
Pressure1016.6 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 69%
Sunrise / Sunset07:10 / 17:41
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~47 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Selway River this week

Today is the pick of the week on Selway River, at 3 out of 5.

Best day this week: today, Oct 23 β€” fair at 3/5, rising pressure behind a front, typically the slowest.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:20 AM-11:20 AM and 9:50 PM-11:50 PM
Minor period
3:45 AM-4:45 AM
Sun
07:10 to 17:41
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Showers, 10 mph
Rain chance
69%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

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

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Steelhead illustration

Steelhead

Great Lakes tributaries from fall through spring; West Coast rivers have both summer and winter runs

Steelhead are rainbow trout that migrate to the Pacific or the Great Lakes to grow, then return up rivers to spawn; unlike most Pacific salmon they can survive spawning and spawn again. Winter fish hold in the deeper pools; drift small baits slowly, and watch for brief warm spells, which NYSDEC says bring fresh fish into the creeks.

Chinook salmon illustration

Chinook salmon

Seasons follow the runs: spring, summer and fall runs on the West Coast, and late summer into fall in Great Lakes rivers

The largest Pacific salmon, caught by trolling and mooching at sea and by drifting and plunking in rivers as adults return to spawn; also stocked in the Great Lakes. Most adult runs have spawned by now. In Washington, winter and early spring bring blackmouth fishing near the bottom in 60 to 200 feet of water where seasons are open.

When to come: the Selway River 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
Rainbow trout
Steelhead
Chinook salmon
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 47 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~47 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 Selway River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 78 F, wind to 7 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 71 F, wind to 4 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 71 F, wind to 7 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 fishing license. IDFG special rules from the mouth to the Selway Falls cable car (barbless hooks; seasonal catch and release; otherwise 2 trout, none under 14 inches, no bait); closed from the cable car to the Selway Falls Bridge at Meadow Creek; Clearwater Region general rules above. Bull trout must be released.

Access

Selway River Road 223 from US 12 at Lowell, with O'Hara campground 7 miles up; Paradise launch and Race Creek take-out for permitted floats.

About this water

A 100-mile river in Idaho County, Idaho, through the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness to the Middle Fork Clearwater.

Fishing Selway River: the full guide

A wilderness river

IDFG's Fishing Planner gives the Selway 100.1 miles in Idaho County as a tributary of the Middle Fork Clearwater. The Forest Service permit page on Recreation.gov says it runs through the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, was designated when Congress passed the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 1968, and flows 47 miles through the heart of the wilderness between the Paradise launch and the Race Creek take-out.

Trout and salmon

IDFG lists cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, mountain whitefish and bull trout as the river's game fish, and its surveys also record Chinook salmon, steelhead, coho and Pacific lamprey. IDFG stocks Chinook salmon fingerlings each spring, about 407,000 in March 2026. Recreation.gov's O'Hara campground page calls the river a destination fly fishing experience for cutthroat and rainbow trout.

Rules by reach

IDFG's 2025-2027 rules (2nd edition, 2026) split the river at Selway Falls. From the mouth to the Selway Falls cable car, barbless hooks are required; from December 1 to the Friday before Memorial Day weekend trout are catch and release with no bait except maggots, and from that Saturday through November 30 the limit is 2 trout, none under 14 inches, with no bait. From the cable car up to the Selway Falls Bridge at Meadow Creek the river is closed to fishing. Above that, Clearwater Region general rules apply, and bull trout are catch and release everywhere.

Getting there

O'Hara, the largest campground on the Selway with 32 sites, is 7 miles up Selway River Road 223 from US 12 at Lowell. From May 15 to July 31 one party of up to 16 people may launch each day for the wilderness float; permits are drawn by lottery on Recreation.gov and administered by the Bitterroot National Forest's West Fork Ranger District.

Common questions

Can I keep trout on the Selway?

Below the Selway Falls cable car, IDFG allows 2 trout of 14 inches or more from the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend through November 30; the rest of the year is catch and release. Bull trout are always released.

Is any part closed to fishing?

Yes. IDFG closes the reach from the Selway Falls cable car up to the Selway Falls Bridge at Meadow Creek.

Do I need a permit to float it?

From May 15 to July 31, yes: one party a day may launch, and permits are drawn by lottery on Recreation.gov.

Is fishing good at Selway River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Lochsa River6 miSouth Fork Clearwater River23 miSalmon River45 miDworshak Reservoir47 miNorth Fork Clearwater River53 miClearwater River76 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 13336500 β€” Selway River near Lowell
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:00 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 46.0800, -115.5200 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 5, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 5, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.