Fishing Report, Spokane River, August 12th 2025

The Spokane River is low, really low. So low you can slip and slide your way entirely across certain stretches of the river below The Falls. It makes for a fun challenge: Can I get across, catch a fish, and then make it back? There's a particular spot along the river that I've had my eye on for the past couple of seasons. At this spot, a line of boulders lays almost entirely across the river and a small island hugs the inside bend that helps split the river's current across a bed of gravel. Along the hiking trail, it seems easy enough to cross, but once you're in the river, feeling the water pushing against your legs, and feeling your feet slipping underneath, you realize that even though the river's flow is low it can still push you around.

The other day I committed to the challenge of trying to cross the river, stand in the middle, catch a fish, make it to the far bank and then back. The weather was hot, so no need to wear waders which decreased the danger in case I slipped and had to swim. Also, downstream of the line of boulders, the river calmed down enough that I could easily swim to one bank or the other (with one hand still holding the fly rod of course).

I stepped into the river with my felt-bottom wading boots, my sling bag zipped up with nothing in there that I was afraid of getting wet, and started making my way towards the middle of the river where a large boulder was breaking the current creating great pocket water to potentially catch a trout or whitefish. Between me and the large boulder there were plenty of smaller boulders, and I waded from one rock to the next, taking a short break in each of their wakes to scout ahead for my next move. The water was only up to my shins and felt pleasant in the late-morning heat.

Eventually, I made it out to the large boulder in the middle of the river. Crawfish carcasses, beginning to bleach in the sun, lay scattered on the rock, left there by mergansers which were the only other creatures to have recently used the boulder. A deeper channel of water flowed swiftly past the far side of the rock and looked deep enough to drift a nymph. I dug my feet into the gravel, unpinned my weighted nymph, casted, and drifted the fly through the trough of water. Near the end of the first drift the line tapped and I set the hook on a small whitefish. On the fourth drift, a small redband took the fly. First part of my challenge complete. Now all I needed to do was continue wading to make it to the far bank.

Just then I felt something bump into the back of my legs, almost pushing me over. It was my dog. I had reached the acceptable limit for which he was willing to sit and wait for me to return. I had waded too far away from him and this was his way of telling me. Knowing he wouldn't make it across the second half of the river, I decided to turn around and head back. Crossing this spot of the river would have to be for another day, but that might not ever happen because I just love fishing with my dog too much.

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As I was mentioning, the river is very low right now, right around 780cfs. And at that volume of water the trout will be condensed into certain pockets and runs in the river. If you are fortunate to catch a redband trout, please consider one fish in the net as a great day. When they are stacked up in certain spots, due to low water, they can be more easily picked off. After you catch a redband trout, maybe think about targeting other species of fish in the river.

Along stretches of the Spokane River, I've seen smaller trout splashily rising to the surface to feed on small insects (chironomids). A couple of trout also haven't been picky and opportunistically went after larger flies (like Chubby Chernobyls). There are lots of grasshoppers along the riverbanks right now, and just one of those insects landing in the water is a big 'ol hamburger meal for a trout. So, be sure to try dry-dropper rigs in pocket water, runs, and riffles and be ready for the not-too-often dry fly eat.

If you are out indicator or tight-line nymphing some of the , expect to catch more mountain whitefish than any other species. They are still very much in a feeding mode and fill your net on a slow day. It's also this time of year that whitefish will push up closer into the rapids and riffles, much skinnier water than where you typically will find them throughout other parts of the season.

When the Spokane River is low like it is, it's also the same time that the city uses a tremendous amount of water for such demands as watering lawns. The water we use to keep grass green comes from the aquifer beneath our feet—the same aquifer that recharges the river with cool, clean water that keeps the trout and other fish alive. If you do have a grass lawn, please think about reducing your water use during this time of the year or, even better, let part of it go and replace it with plants that are drought tolerant. Just think about it this way, for every patch of grass that is replaced with drought tolerant plants is one more fish in the river. If you're needing some inspiration for what to turn your yard into, stop by Floralia and talk with my friend Wesley.

Other than that, we are smack dab in the middle of the dog days of summer. Fishing early in the morning or last couple of hours in the evening are the best options right now for catching a trout. There's minimal insect hatches going on, just some sparse chironomid hatches, remnants of caddis, and the occasional grasshopper catapulting into the water. When the aquatic insects aren't really hatching the trout just seem to taper off as well and wait until the bugs start to hatch again in the fall (such as October caddis and blue winged olive). But, just because the trout are not in quite the feeding mood right now doesn't mean you won't hook into one. I've even heard from a couple anglers that they caught some trout using streamers, so experiment and try different flies out, you never know.

Lastly, if you're out wading in the water this time of year, try to grab some of the garbage that's pinned under the rocks and boulders. The one bright side to the low water level is that it allows us anglers to retrieve harder to reach garbage. If you are out there filling up a bag with trash, after you maybe filled your net, thank you! Personal efforts like that go a long way to looking after and respecting our local river, and more action is needed.

Worm hole ahead

Upcoming Community Events

Macroinvertebrate Sampling, Spokane Riverkeeper, August 13th, 5:00 to 6:30pm, People's Park

  Help the Riverkeeper collect benthic macroinvertebrates in the Spokane River. Macro communities are biological indicators of water quality and ecosystem health and we want to know more about them in the Spokane River. We will be teaming up with experts from Eastern Washington University for this 1.5 hour event that will teach you to sample, collect, and identify this underwater bugs.

  Please bring water shoes or shoes you can get wet. The Riverkeeper will provide the supplies. Please note that although we intend to return these bugs to the river we will be handling and identifying them for science and there may be some accidental mortality.

  This is a great opportunity to increase your skills at fly fishing. Learning more about the insects in our river helps to figure out what bugs the fish are feeding on, which means you can better select fly patterns to present to them.

  More info here.

Community Get-Together, Spokane Fly Fishers, August 13th starting at 6:00pm, Lumberbeard Brewing

Join other anglers for a community get together and mingle. It's a chance for different anglers and fishing clubs to meet up and chat about fishing the Spokane River and other nearby waters. If you are looking to connect and plug in to the local fishing community, this is a great event to attend.

River Clean Up and Paddle, August 15th, starting at 10:00am at 1702 W Water Ave

Join the Spokane Riverkeeper in a paddling cleanup effort from Water Ave to Downriver Park. Bring your own boat, or save a seat in the Riverkeeper raft! Limited space, please reserve in registration here.

Everyone will be meeting at the boat ramp at Water Ave at 10am where everyone will unload boats, gear and organize a self shuttle.

Please be on time! The aim is to get on the water by 10:30am beginning with a safety briefing and clean up plan before heading out. Please dress for the weather and getting wet, bring water, and wear strudy closed-toe shoes. The Spokane Riverkeeper will provide trash bags, gloves, and trash grabbers. PFDs are required and must be worn at all times on the River to participate in this event.

BYO-Boat? Please be proficient paddling in moving water for this event and always be aware of swift River currents and hazards.

Questions? Reach out to event coordinator, Liv Kindl at liv@spokaneriverkeeper.org

Geocaching River Clean Up, August 16th, starting at 9:00am

Join the Spokane Riverkeeper and the Inland Empire Chapter of the Washington State Geocaching Association for a special Cache In Trash Out (CITO) river cleanup event! This fun and impactful morning brings together geocaching enthusiasts and river stewards for a collaborative land and water cleanup. Participants will have the opportunity to learn more about the local geocaching community while helping to protect the Spokane River. Kayakers will paddle from the Gonzaga-area put-in to Upriver Park and back, collecting litter from the river, while a shore crew focuses on removing trash along the Centennial Trail and riverbanks.

More info available here.

Intro to Euro (Tightline) Nymphing, August 17th, starting at 8:00am, Downriver Park

Come join me (Marc) for a free intro to euro (tightline) nymphing lesson. Euro nymphing is a fly fishing technique that involves using a longer, lighter fly rod and weighted flies to catch a variety of fish species, especially trout. It's one of the most effective techniques to use for fishing the Spokane River. It can be a technique you can use while fishing from the bank, wading in the river, or even fishing from a raft or drift boat. During the lesson, I'll talk about gear, selecting flies, the basics of the technique, casting tips, and then give a demonstration on the river.

Fish the Park 'Til Dark, August 22nd, from 5:30pm until dark, Riverfront Park

Come fish Riverfront Park with me (Marc) and other local anglers. All experience levels welcome. Bring whatever fishing gear you own (just be sure to follow fishing regulations which means no treble hooks, no bait, and pinch down your barbs). We'll meet at the Clocktower in Riverfront Park at 5:30pm and then fish around the park until it gets too dark. So, if you show up later just walk around until you see other people fishing and join in. This is a great chance to meet other anglers, ask questions about fishing the Spokane River, learn about how to fish the river, and have some fun! If you'd like to try fly fishing but need to borrow a fly rod, email me at Info@FlyFishSpokane.com

The Guide to Urban Fly Fishing, April 28th 2026, Auntie's Bookstore

As a final sign off...I recently wrote an entire guide book about urban fly fishing. It was a long journey that took a couple years to research and write, and it had me traveling to numerous other cities across the country. It's a general guide that will help you to learn how to fish any city here in North America. Even if you don't fly fish the book is packed with tips, insights, and resources to help you discover the fishing opportunities within every city.

The book will be hitting the shelves April 28th, 2026, and if you preorder from Auntie's Bookstore, you'll receive a copy that I'll sign, in the bookstore, the day of the release. Support local bookstores and support local waters!

On the cover of my book is a photo I took of urban fly fishing guide Brandon Dale. He's the first fly fishing guide for NYC's Central Park. If you are ever visiting New York City, you'd be foolish not to take a guided trip with him around the park fishing for carp...it's an experience like no other in NYC!