CAST&SCAN

Waters · United States

Clearwater River (Lower) fishing report

Updated Sunday, October 25, 2026 · refreshed automatically through the day

Home of Idaho's B-run steelhead, larger fish that travel hundreds of miles from the ocean and arrive from autumn into spring. Cold water from Dworshak Dam on the North Fork steadies the lower river's temperature.

Today's report: excellent (85/100)

Chinook salmon is the most promising species on Clearwater River (Lower) today. Water temperature at the gauge is 49°F (9.2°C) and barometric pressure is stable. Gauge CLEARWATER RIVER NR PECK ID shows the water level rising (1 in/24h).

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Clearwater River (Lower) water temperature and flow

  • Water temperature: 49°F (9.2°C)
  • Discharge: 3,489 cfs (98.8 m³/s) — up 5% over 24 hours
  • Level trend: rising (1 in/24h)

Measured at gauge CLEARWATER RIVER NR PECK ID · reading 17 min ago. Published by the national hydrological service, not estimated by us.

Best time to fish today

  • 12:00 PM–2:00 PM local time — score 85/100
  • 4:00 PM–6:00 PM local time — score 84/100
  • 7:00 AM–9:00 AM local time — score 86/100

3-day outlook by species

SpeciesSunday, Oct 25Monday, Oct 26Tuesday, Oct 27
Steelhead73 — good77 — good73 — good
Chinook salmon85 — excellent86 — excellent85 — excellent
Smallmouth Bass81 — excellent74 — good61 — good

Why this score

Cast & Scan uses a deterministic, published scoring model — no black box. The strongest influences on today's Clearwater River (Lower) rating:

  • water temperature: helping (+1)
  • light: helping (+1)
  • season: helping (+1)
  • cloud cover: helping (+0.95)
  • wind: helping (+0.9)
  • precipitation: helping (+0.9)

Forecast computed Sun, 25 Oct 2026 17:46:43 GMT · data: Open-Meteo + gauge CLEARWATER RIVER NR PECK ID · refreshed automatically through the day · see our published accuracy

Winter fishing on Clearwater River (Lower)

The Clearwater's B-run steelhead fishery runs right through the winter into spring. Cold water from Dworshak Dam on the North Fork keeps the lower river's temperature steady, but releases can raise or drop the flow quickly. In very cold weather the fish sit in the slower, deeper runs, and slush and shelf ice can make some spots unfishable.

Seasons, closed sections and permits are set by the state and change. Check the current regulations before a winter trip, and never trust shelf ice or a forecast for your safety.

Wondering how this stacks up against the apps you already know? Cast & Scan vs Fishbrain vs BassForecast — an honest comparison, including where they beat us.

Read before you go

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