Waters · United States
Salmon River (White Bird) fishing report
Updated Friday, 9 October 2026 · refreshed automatically through the day
The River of No Return carries B-run steelhead — the largest in the interior Columbia basin — more than 500 miles inland. Water temperature governs when those fish move and when they simply stop.
Today's report: excellent (85/100)
Smallmouth Bass is the most promising species on Salmon River (White Bird) today. Water temperature at the gauge is 14.5°C (58°F) and barometric pressure is stable. Gauge SALMON RIVER AT WHITE BIRD ID shows the water level steady (0 cm/24h).
Salmon River (White Bird) water temperature and flow
- Water temperature: 14.5°C (58°F)
- Discharge: 96.0 m³/s (3,390 cfs) — down 0% over 24 hours
- Level trend: steady
Measured at gauge SALMON RIVER AT WHITE BIRD ID · reading 62 min ago. Published by the national hydrological service, not estimated by us.
Best time to fish today
- 12:00–14:00 local time — score 86/100
- 15:00–17:00 local time — score 83/100
- 18:00–20:00 local time — score 84/100
3-day outlook by species
| Species | Friday 9 Oct | Saturday 10 Oct | Sunday 11 Oct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steelhead | 65 — good | 73 — good | 75 — good |
| Chinook salmon | 76 — good | 79 — good | 78 — good |
| Smallmouth Bass | 85 — excellent | 80 — excellent | 64 — good |
Why this score
Cast & Scan uses a deterministic, published scoring model — no black box. The strongest influences on today's Salmon River (White Bird) rating:
- water temperature: helping (+1)
- light: helping (+1)
- solunar period: helping (+1)
- season: helping (+0.95)
- precipitation: helping (+0.9)
- river flow: helping (+0.9)
Forecast computed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 15:46:46 GMT · data: Open-Meteo + gauge SALMON RIVER AT WHITE BIRD ID · refreshed automatically through the day · see our published accuracy
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
- The best time to fish for bass
- How river flow trend changes the bite
- Barometric pressure and fishing, explained
More steelhead waters
- American River (Fair Oaks) — California, USA
- Au Sable River (Foote Dam) — Michigan, USA
- Cowlitz River (Castle Rock) — Washington, USA
- Deschutes River (Sherars Falls) — Oregon, USA
- Feather River (Oroville) — California, USA
Nearby waters
- Bitterroot River (Missoula) — Montana, USA (212 km away)
- Blackfoot River (Bonner) — Montana, USA (235 km away)
- Big Hole River (Melrose) — Montana, USA (283 km away)
- Kootenai River (Libby Dam) — Montana, USA (304 km away)
- John Day River (Lower) — Oregon, USA (318 km away)
- Yakima River (Union Gap) — Washington, USA (331 km away)