Idaho Freestone
Lochsa River Fishing Report, Flows and Hatches
A pristine, high-gradient backcountry freestone in central Idaho with exceptional wild cutthroat. Powerful spring snowmelt keeps it high through June, so summer and fall are the times to fish it.
Freestone
Idaho
2,000 ft
Gauge 13337000
Right now
Live conditions
The hatch chart
Lochsa River hatch chart
The emergences that come off the Lochsa by month, straight from the Rivus hatch model.
| Hatch | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Midge Midge, #20-22 | ||||||||||||
March Brown Mayfly, #10-14 | ||||||||||||
Salmonfly Stonefly, #2-3 | ||||||||||||
Golden Stonefly Stonefly, #6-8 | ||||||||||||
Small Baetis Mayfly, #18-20 | ||||||||||||
Pale Morning Dun Mayfly, #14-16 | ||||||||||||
Green Drake Mayfly, #10-12 | ||||||||||||
Caddisfly Caddis, #14-18 | ||||||||||||
Grasshopper / Terrestrial Hopper, #10-12 | ||||||||||||
Flying Ant / Carpenter Ant Ant, #16-18 | ||||||||||||
Trico Mayfly, #20-22 |
How it fishes
A Idaho freestone
A freestone river runs free off snowmelt and rain, so it swings hard with the seasons. It blows out and browns up in spring runoff, then drops and warms into summer. The hatches track the water temperature more than the calendar, so you time your trip to the flow and the thermometer.
Flow and gauge
Reading the flows
The Lochsa is metered at USGS gauge 13337000. Watch the trend as much as the number: a river that is dropping and clearing fishes very differently from one that is coming up.
Access and regulations
Before you fish
Access and the right to fish are the angler’s responsibility, every time. Public access, private water, and seasonal closures vary along the river, so confirm where you can legally stand and wade before you go. We do not point you to a specific spot.
Read the current rules, license requirements, and any special-regulation water before you go. Regulations change season to season, so check them fresh.
Flow and water temperature from USGS, weather from NWS and NOAA, refreshed hourly. Real-time USGS readings are provisional and subject to revision. The hatch chart and river read are Rivus model output.