Idaho Fishing Calendar

What's biting month by month, and how many Idaho charters on Unreel target each fish.

Biting now in October:Salmon Trout Steelhead

Peak fishing months in Idaho by species, with the number of charters that target each one
Fish	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Salmon36 charters · April to June and September to November	January: off peak	February: off peak	March: off peak	April: peak	May: peak	June: peak	July: off peak	August: off peak	September: peak	October: peak	November: peak	December: off peak
Trout22 charters · May to October	January: off peak	February: off peak	March: off peak	April: off peak	May: peak	June: peak	July: peak	August: peak	September: peak	October: peak	November: off peak	December: off peak
Steelhead7 charters · September to December	January: off peak	February: off peak	March: off peak	April: off peak	May: off peak	June: off peak	July: off peak	August: off peak	September: peak	October: peak	November: peak	December: peak

Shaded months are the typical peak for a charter trip. The outlined column is this month.

Idaho fishing, month by month

January: Off season for most charters. Some captains still run trips, so it is worth asking.
February: Off season for most charters. Some captains still run trips, so it is worth asking.
March: Off season for most charters. Some captains still run trips, so it is worth asking.
April: Salmon
May: Salmon, Trout
June: Salmon, Trout
July: Trout
August: Trout
September: Salmon, Trout, Steelhead
October: Salmon, Trout, Steelhead
November: Salmon, Steelhead
December: Steelhead

Before you book

Salmon: Idaho sets chinook and steelhead seasons, limits and open days by run size, and changes them during the season.
Trout: May and June runoff can blow out freestone rivers, while tailwaters keep fishing. In hot spells Montana can close rivers after 2 p.m.

How this calendar is built

The charter counts are live from the Unreel directory: each one is a Idaho charter that lists that fish as a target. A fish only appears here if at least three local charters target it.

The shaded months are general peak windows for the Mountain West, not fishing regulations. For ocean species, the spawning, migration and federal closure notes were checked against NOAA Fisheries species profiles, and for inshore and freshwater species against state wildlife agency guidance and rules. Seasons, closures and limits change every year and can differ by water, so check Idaho's current regulations and ask your captain what is running before you book.