Imnaha River Fishing

The Imnaha River is a designated a 'Wild and Scenic' river and is a tributary to the mighty Snake River. The river starts in the Eagle Cap wilderness and eventually flows into the Snake River some 60 miles later. The section of the river known as the Upper Imnaha flows along the southern boarder of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area.

Along the upper section are several FS campgrounds that provide easy access for fun Rainbow Trout fishing. Campgrounds in this section are situated in beautiful stands of Ponderosa Pine and are rarely at capacity (see Blackhorse, Ollokot, Cloverdale, Hidden and Indian Crossing Campgrounds HERE).The best place to access fish is below the Indian Crossing Campground.

The sections below the little town of Imnaha provide excellent Steelhead fishing during February and March (prior to the spring thaw). To access this lower below-town section, you drive 6 miles downstream (North) on a paved road; the road then turns into Doug Bar Rd. and is gravel and rough (check your spare before you leave). At about this point you are on public land, so anywhere you can access is open. Travel another 13 miles on this very rough road to the Cow Creek Bridge where you’ll find places to park just beyond the bridge turnoff. From there a trail continues another 4.5 miles down the Imnaha to where it joins the Snake River. The trail is well worth hiking for the Steelhead and large trout fishing that can be found lurking behind boulders along the way.

upper imnaha x850Upper Imnaha above Indian Crossing Campground