Idaho Fish Report

The river was running high and turbid for several weeks but cleared up considerably by mid-January. Recent weather has been cold and ice has formed in sections of the river, with another storm on the way.

February is often a popular month to target steelhead in the John Day, and fishing should be good if you're patient and wait for river conditions to improve. This year's steelhead run will be better than the past few seasons but remains slightly below long-term averages.

The John Day is largely comprised of wild fish that must be released unharmed. Fall is often one of the better opportunities to harvest a hatchery stray. Please be cognizant of minimizing stress to wild fish by always keeping them in the water and handling them as little as possible before release. The John Day arm below Tumwater Falls to the mainline railroad bridge is now open for fishing.