Spokane River Opener 2025

Spokane

The Spokane River is back in action! Our local haunt reopened Memorial Day weekend, and everyone from the shop has been out getting after it any chance we get. This time of year is hard to beat. Evenings are long, temperatures are perfect and the trout are happy. Whether its short sessions after work or day floats, getting some fishing time in becomes a lot easier when its 10 minutes away.

Flows are sitting nicely for early season fishing. A bit higher than opening weekend last year, but still a very fishy level for wading and floating. We’ll see the river start to slowly drop over the next few weeks, which will improve access, especially for wade anglers. With cooler temps this spring and decent snowpack, there should be a healthy amount of water in the river as we get later into the summer season.

I’ve been out for a few floats already and have done some wade fishing as well. Wade fishing is great for the quick sessions, but it sure is nice being able to cover more water from the boat. Especially with the current flows, the raft allows you to fish towards the bank and not worry about obstacles in your back cast. There’s also no poison ivy in the raft, which I’m currently suffering through after taking a couple errant steps right through some of that nasty stuff.

There are some great caddis hatches in the evenings all over the river. In true Spokane River fashion, fish are waiting until the last half hour of daylight to grab them off the surface. Caddis-style nymphs and soft hackles have been reliable all day though, whether you’re swinging them or hanging one underneath a big dry fly. Stonefly nymphs and sculpin imitations are also good sub-surface options. Euro and bobber setups are great for the turbulent and deeper sections of river, don’t shy away from heavy rigs this time of year to cut through the surface currents.

I’ll be out here regularly all summer long. Our guided trips are filling up and I’m looking forward to seeing friends new and old. Give us a call at the shop if you want a front seat ride down our hometown river! It’s one of my favorite ways to spend the morning on a warm Summer day.