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South Fork Clearwater River Fishing Report

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

A Clearwater River tributary in Idaho County, part of the basin where Clearwater 'B' strain steelhead return from the Pacific, with seasons set by IDFG each year.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
153 cfs
Air / High
50 / 53 F
Wind
E 2 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 13338500, 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.

South Fork Clearwater River feels the season turning: shorter days, grouping fish. The river is running 153 cfs, steady over the week. Today brings cloud cover, wind E around 2 mph, steady pressure near 1018 hPa and a high of 53. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:22 AM-11:22 AM and 9:52 PM-11:52 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

SteelheadGood

Main tributary season: fish seams, pool heads and tails and structure with drifted eggs, beads, nymphs or streamers, and plan trips around rising or falling water.

Tomorrow: Similar at 57 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 steelhead 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 SF Clearwater at Stites.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 13338500.

136154171153 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 63 years of October 23

At 153 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 13338500 (SF Clearwater at Stites) is at the 7th percentile for the date: much below normal. In half of the 63 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 231 cfs; the highest was 1,430 cfs and the lowest 113 cfs.

p10 162median 231p90 485

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 13338500; 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 temp50 F
High / Low53 / 39 F
WindE 2-11 mph
Pressure1017.6 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 83%
Sunrise / Sunset07:12 / 17:43
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~55 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 South Fork Clearwater River this week

The best day on South Fork Clearwater River this week looks like Wednesday Oct 28, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Wednesday, Oct 28 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:22 AM-11:22 AM and 9:52 PM-11:52 PM
Minor period
3:47 AM-4:47 AM
Sun
07:12 to 17:43
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Rain, 9 mph
Rain chance
83%

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

Species guide

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

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. Main tributary season: fish seams, pool heads and tails and structure with drifted eggs, beads, nymphs or streamers, and plan trips around rising or falling water.

When to come: the South Fork Clearwater 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
Steelhead
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 55 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 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 South Fork Clearwater 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. Steelhead led the card at good. High of 69 F, wind to 6 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Steelhead led the card at good. High of 66 F, wind to 6 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Steelhead led the card at good. High of 64 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 and steelhead permit. Steelhead seasons, limits and wild-fish release rules for the South Fork Clearwater are set by IDFG and change by year: see the current IDFG Idaho Fishing Seasons and Rules and steelhead season notices.

Access

Check IDFG and the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests for current public access along the river.

About this water

A tributary of the Clearwater River in Idaho County, Idaho; the page's gauge is USGS 13338500, SF Clearwater River at Stites.

Fishing South Fork Clearwater River: the full guide

Part of the Clearwater steelhead system

The South Fork joins the Clearwater River system that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service describes as home to the famous Clearwater 'B' strain of steelhead, which return from the Pacific, more than 500 miles away, between October and May. Downstream at the mouth of the North Fork, Dworshak National Fish Hatchery raises large B-run steelhead to make up for habitat lost when Dworshak Dam was built.

Seasons change every year

Idaho's fishing rules say steelhead may be fished only where a steelhead season is specifically opened for that water, and the South Fork Clearwater has its own season table. Seasons and limits are set by IDFG and change from year to year, so check the current IDFG steelhead seasons and rules before every trip.

Flows

The USGS gauge 'SF Clearwater River at Stites' (13338500) reports discharge near the lower end of the river; it read about 140 cfs on the morning of October 5, 2026.

Common questions

What is a B-run steelhead?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service calls the Clearwater 'B' strain famous; Dworshak National Fish Hatchery raises large B-run steelhead, which return from the Pacific between October and May.

When is the South Fork Clearwater open for steelhead?

Only when IDFG opens a season for it. Seasons and limits change with run size, so check IDFG's current steelhead rules before the drive.

Is fishing good at South Fork Clearwater 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 River22 miSalmon River23 miSelway River23 miDworshak Reservoir45 miClearwater River60 miNorth Fork Clearwater River62 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 13338500 β€” SF Clearwater at Stites
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 18:15 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 45.9700, -115.9700 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.