April 12, 2021 Brent Auger

The Clearwater Steelhead Syndicate

The Best Swinging for Steelhead in the West?

The Clearwater Steelhead Syndicate specializes in providing the best spey fly fishing guides on the premier dry-line steelhead fly fishing river in the world…Idaho’s Clearwater.

Imagine standing in a crystal clear river with the sun glistening in front of golden hills in the background and orange pines standing tall. Long beautiful runs waiting for your cast and swing as you work through them. Then you feel the tug of a steelhead as it interrupts your drift. That dream is a reality on Idaho’s Clearwater River!

For many, fishing for steelhead is an obsession, stepping into that perfect run early in the morning as the fog lifts; step in, strip, cast, and swing. The anticipation of that fish moving to the fly on the next cast is mesmerizing. One of the most wonderful things about steelhead fishing is the environments and nature in which you fish for them. From rain forest to desert, they inhabit our earth’s most pristine lands.

Of all the rivers to swing a fly, the Clearwater is special. The Clearwater is an anomaly of a steelhead river. It is very large and carves its way through coniferous forest and sage laden desert. The water is constantly clear as its namesake suggests and is consistently stable, making concern over fishing conditions an afterthought. Clearwater fish can rival the size of western winter run native fish and can be much larger on average. The Clearwater is legendary for bringing steelhead to the surface as well to take a dry which will provide you with an experience you’ll never forget!

Your fishing day:

Float trips are done in modern, state of the art drift boats operated by experienced guides. The drift boats are large, stable, and carry a large capacity of equipment. Equipment can be accommodated if needed. Ample communication in terms of equipment needs is needed to provide proper and adequate gear.

Approximately 75 miles of river is available to fish, 3 boats on the upper half and 3 boats on the lower half. During different periods of the year fish will congregate in certain areas of the river. Depending on the season we’ll make the pick-up at the hotel around 08.00 AM, floating different sections of the river through out the week. Since the runs are long enough to hold several anglers, and even if fished from both sides, the river is big enough not to create a crowd. The day ends typically at sundown, so it’ll mean around 8 to 12 hours on the river a day.
*Day trips include lunch, snacks. Meals can be customized to fit any dietary requirements.

With over 20 years of guiding experience the guides of the Clearwater Steelhead Syndicate are knowledgeable and professional. Their passion and love for fly fishing and willingness to share their knowledge is what truly makes them the best around.