Priest River
river in Idaho
The Priest River is known for its clear, cold water and forested banks, providing a classic mountain river fly fishing experience. It's particularly good during migratory runs of trout from Lake Pend Oreille.
Mild fall conditions with clear skies
- 01Mild fall conditions with clear skies, temperatures around 53°F.
- 02Kokanee spawning activity means egg patterns are essential for resident trout.
- 03Expect opportunistic feeding on fall hatches of PMDs, Mahogany Duns, and October Caddis.
- 04Focus on deeper pools, runs, and areas with structure and slower seams.
- 05Actively prospect with subsurface egg and Mysis Shrimp patterns, but be ready for dry-dropper opportunities during hatches.
Past reports week by week
6 weeksWhat to tie on
Picked from reports, hatches and the season. Tap a fly for the recipe and where else it works.
October Caddis (Dry)
The October Caddis hatch is one of the largest caddis hatches of the year in many Western rivers during the fall, providing substantial dry fly opportunities.
Buy at AmazonMahogany Dun
Mahogany Duns (Paraleptophlebia) are actively hatching in late summer and fall, offering excellent dry fly fishing.
Buy at AmazonMysis Shrimp (Nymph)
Priest River connects to Priest Lake, where Mysis shrimp are a consistent food source for Kokanee and lake-dwelling trout throughout the year, including fall, when fish may move into the river.
Chironomid Pupa
Chironomid pupae are a consistent food source in stillwaters connected to rivers, such as Priest Lake, and are effective for Kokanee and trout moving in and out of the river system during the fall.
Buy at AmazonBlood Dot Egg
Kokanee are salmon, and fall is the prime egg season when resident trout key in on these abundant food sources.
Buy at AmazonPMD (Pale Morning Duns)
Pale Morning Duns are known to hatch actively in the fall, providing a key food source for opportunistic feeding by Kokanee and other trout.
Olive Woolly Bugger
A versatile streamer, the Olive Woolly Bugger effectively imitates leeches and baitfish, which are consistent food sources for aggressive trout and salmon species year-round, making it a strong choice for fall prospecting.
Flashback Hare's Ear Nymph
This is an excellent general searching nymph, mimicking various aquatic insects active in the currents year-round, and is especially good for prospecting deeper water in the fall.
Where to fish and who to ask
Indian Creek Road Access
Provides access to upper sections of the river, closer to Priest Lake, known for good cutthroat fishing.
Priest River Park Access
Easy public access near the town of Priest River, offering wade fishing and boat launch opportunities.
Get Priest River reports by email
Save this water and we'll email you a weekly summary of conditions, hatches and what's working.
Idaho season by season
What changes on the water through the year, with the flies for each season.
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Quick answers
Common questions about Priest River.
What flies work best on Priest River?
Our top scored fly patterns for Priest River right now are October Caddis (Dry) (80% confidence), Mahogany Dun (80% confidence), Mysis Shrimp (Nymph) (80% confidence). These picks are scored from recent fishing reports, hatch data, and seasonal patterns.
What fish species are in Priest River?
Priest River holds Kokanee. See the species links on this page for fly recommendations and seasonal behavior for each.
What are current flow conditions on Priest River?
Live USGS streamflow readings for Priest River are charted in the sidebar of this page and updated automatically from the nearest gauge.
Is Priest River fishing well right now?
We publish a fresh bite report for Priest River each week based on recent on-the-water intel. The current report — with conditions, hatches, and what's producing — is on this page.