It is 11:00pm and im sitting here day dreaming about the salmon fishing soon to come and watching the fish camera and there is literally tons of fish crossing the damn this late at night. i didnt realize salmon moved this much at night. but my questions are has any body tried plunking on the clearwater and if so what are the setups you use (if you dont mind sharing.) and once the fish move into the confluence how fast do they normally start moving into the Orifino area? just things im wondering i have only fished for and caught salmon in Challis before this year and the clearwater really baffled me this year as far as steelhead go i still caught a few fish but its a hole different ball game up here than it is in the salmon challis area.
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sorry man cant help ya but im doing the same thing you are. watching the camera dreaming about catchin those darn things. I'm wondering about your question also
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sorry man cant help ya but im doing the same thing you are. watching the camera dreaming about catchin those darn things. I'm wondering about your question also
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We catch them in the SF the same way as in Riggins. I dont know why it wouldnt work on the mainstem if you can find a good hole. The only time Ive fished the main stem we used plugs and did some back bouncing outa a boat.
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Spin and glow with a big old glob of eggs with a pyramid sinker on a slider. You can also plunk qwik fish too. Bobber and eggs in the eddies. One really popular bankie spot is where the potlatch river dumps into the clearwater...........
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thanks for the tips steelhead kid. what size of spin and glow do you normally use on the chinook?
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1 1/4" or size 2 works the best for me. make sure you put a bead and corky in front of the hook helps the spin glo work. Ive plunked the clearwater a lot. Guys always stop by and ask if we are cat fishing or sturgeon fishing. They usually cant believe that we are salmon fishing. Any inside bend of the river will work great. There are places all over the river to plunk just have to check it out...
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explain the plunking thing dont know nothing about it or what it is
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you can google it and check out how to do it. it a fairly simple set up for salmon fishing.
but here is a link on how to do it.http://www.fishsponge.com/Tips%20-plunking.htm
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sounds like a good way to fish and drink beer to me, anyone try it on the upper salmon
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i am going to try it in the main river this year. there is room to spread out there.....kinda. can't stand the combat fishing on the little river or south fork. makes alaska combat fishing look inviting.............[pirate]
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The only place I have fished for salmon up there is off of the bridge below Dworshak Dam. You have to get there at like 3 am to get your spot and then wait for daylight, but when the fish come in it is unbelievable. We also plunked with tuna balls or an entire shrimp with 2 single hooks through it with an entire toothpick slid in its back to straighten it out and a piece of yarn tied along the back of the shrimp. The shrimp is very deadly on the salmon. One of my most memorable fishing moments was hooking a 20+ lber off that bridge and fighting it for about 30 mins. It almost spooled me 3 times and I had it to the net twice and the third time it finally spit the hook. My arm hurt for days after that fish. It was my first time tangling with the salmon and I could not believe how much harder they fight than a steelhead. It was awesome.
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tanks arnt they?
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Or, modify your Plunk rig by downsizing your sinker > to a super slow drift set up!
Any steelheader should be able to bag a springer or two driftin' eggs! and Don't worry about leader go 25lbs+ springer are rarely leader shy!
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and the clearwater is blown out now. with nothing but rain in the forecast for over a week. i think it will be about 2 weeks till i get to fish again.
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Don't hesitate to hit the N. Fork. Those fish will nose around in there to get out of the mud........
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I wouldnt be waiting 2 weeks the fish are there. I havent seen the Clearwater unfishable 3 days in 10yrs of salmon fishing, you just head up or down depending on the water. I would be fishing rite off the willows with some eggs and spin and glos. Big globs of eggs let that scent go down the river. Ive caught more salmon in murky water than clear and with high water they are going to be right off the bank not very far. Im headed up friday for the first trip and i will be going every weekend until they close the season or I run out of gas money. Let you guys know how the fishing is on the salmon river with 50,000 CFS! LOL
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We'll be on the N.F. saturday or somewhere just below it.
Got Eggs?
Curing a couple batchs right now!
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you think those fish will be at the northfork by the end of the week?
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Looking at the counts the fish are already there! The way it looks I wouldve started fishing the Clearwater last weekend. Those fish at lenore should give you hints. Ive had it some days that the fish checker only had seen a handful of fish and then he checked my group and we were almost done for the day, but we were doing catch and release to lengthen the day. Just cause the people down in Lewiston are not catching many doesnt say anything to me. To really understand these fish you need to look at the dam counts at lower granite and the water levels and clarity. That will give you more of an idea than other fishermen. The last thing and biggest piece of the pie is the location. Even if there are only a few fish headin up the river if you have a good spot you will catch fish. Hint- Inside bends of the river.
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