Upper Salmon steelhead report: one released fish, a two-fish bag, and a 28-inch year

Idaho’s first weekly Upper Salmon River steelhead report of fall 2026 is a slow start on a thin run. Fish and Game posted it at 9:25 a.m. MDT on Oct. 14. Creel clerks began interviewing anglers on Thursday, Oct. 8. Effort stayed low. Most anglers they saw were in river location code 15, downstream of North Fork. One interviewed angler reported releasing a steelhead there, which the report converts to an average catch rate of 64 hours per steelhead.

River conditions downstream of Salmon were good even with a poor weekend of weather: clear visibility, temperatures in the low to mid-50s, then the upper 40s by Monday. On Oct. 14 the Salmon River was flowing at 1,200 cfs through the town of Salmon, 95 percent of average for the date.

The report ties the season to a very small return. It cites the 2026 Idaho Steelhead Update from Region 2 fisheries manager Joe Thiessen: this fall’s steelhead count at Bonneville Dam is among the lowest since counts began in 1938. Because of that return, the statewide fall bag and possession limits are two adipose-clipped steelhead a day and six in possession. The fall season limit is unchanged at 20 adipose-clipped fish. PIT-tag estimates through Oct. 4 put the Pahsimeroi and Sawtooth hatchery returns in the same range as 2018–19 and 2019–20, and at less than half of last year’s return. About 90 percent of this year’s fish are two-ocean steelhead averaging around 28 inches, with some likely over 30. Fish and Game says November can still produce better catch rates once more of the run reaches the upper river, as it did in fall 2019. Confirm the live seasons page before you keep a fish. The Salmon regional office number in the report is (208) 756-2271.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Idaho Fish and Game — Upper Salmon River Steelhead Fishing Report (10-14-2026) (Oct. 14, 2026).