Best rivers to fish or float this week
Updated Oct 24, 2:37 PM PDT · USGS data, provisional
74 of 129 gauges are Fishable/Floatable right now, meaning flow is within the range that gauge normally sees at this time of year. The list is sorted by days in range over the last 7 days, then by how close the flow is to the typical (median) flow for the date.
| River | Days in range (last 7) | Flow | Vs. normal | 24 h |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitterroot River near Missoula, MT | 7 of 7 | 899 cfs | 50th pct. | ● steady |
| Clark Fork near Plains, MT | 7 of 7 | 10,200 cfs | 50th pct. | ● steady |
| McKenzie River below Leaburg Dam, near Leaburg, OR | 7 of 7 | 1,640 cfs | 49th pct. | ● steady |
| Gallatin River at Logan, MT | 7 of 7 | 756 cfs | 49th pct. | ▲ rising |
| Gallatin River near Gallatin Gateway, MT | 7 of 7 | 419 cfs | 49th pct. | ● steady |
| Middle Fork Salmon River at Middle Fork Lodge, near Yellow Pine, ID | 7 of 7 | 591 cfs | 53rd pct. | ● steady |
| Salmon River at Salmon, ID | 7 of 7 | 1,320 cfs | 56th pct. | ● steady |
| Bitterroot River near Darby, MT | 7 of 7 | 307 cfs | 57th pct. | ▲ rising |
| Clark Fork below Missoula, MT | 7 of 7 | 2,700 cfs | 58th pct. | ▲ rising |
| Smith River near Eden, MT | 7 of 7 | 149 cfs | 58th pct. | ● steady |
| Cowlitz River at Castle Rock, WA | 7 of 7 | 4,150 cfs | 41st pct. | ● steady |
| Big Wood River at Hailey (total flow), ID | 7 of 7 | 214 cfs | 59th pct. | ▼ falling |
| South Fork Boise River at Anderson Ranch Dam, ID | 7 of 7 | 295 cfs | 40th pct. | ● steady |
| South Santiam River at Waterloo, OR | 7 of 7 | 1,150 cfs | 40th pct. | ● steady |
| Missouri River at Fort Benton, MT | 7 of 7 | 4,690 cfs | 39th pct. | ● steady |
| Applegate River near Applegate, OR | 7 of 7 | 116 cfs | 39th pct. | ● steady |
| Yellowstone River at Corwin Springs, MT | 7 of 7 | 1,250 cfs | 38th pct. | ● steady |
| Salmon River near Shoup, ID | 7 of 7 | 2,010 cfs | 62nd pct. | ▲ rising |
| Walla Walla River near Touchet, WA | 7 of 7 | 81.5 cfs | 63rd pct. | ▲ rising |
| Cedar River near Landsburg, WA | 7 of 7 | 359 cfs | 37th pct. | ● steady |
| Green River near Auburn, WA | 7 of 7 | 419 cfs | 36th pct. | ● steady |
| Lewis River at Ariel, WA | 7 of 7 | 2,550 cfs | 36th pct. | ● steady |
| Flathead River at Columbia Falls, MT | 7 of 7 | 3,620 cfs | 35th pct. | ● steady |
| North Fork Payette River near Banks, ID | 7 of 7 | 267 cfs | 34th pct. | ● steady |
| Boise River near Twin Springs, ID | 7 of 7 | 416 cfs | 67th pct. | ● steady |
| Missouri River at Toston, MT | 7 of 7 | 3,720 cfs | 32nd pct. | ▲ rising |
| Stillwater River near Absarokee, MT | 7 of 7 | 435 cfs | 32nd pct. | ● steady |
| Clearwater River at Spalding, ID | 7 of 7 | 3,200 cfs | 32nd pct. | ● steady |
| Boise River at Glenwood Bridge, near Boise, ID | 7 of 7 | 225 cfs | 31st pct. | ● steady |
| St. Joe River at Calder, ID | 7 of 7 | 376 cfs | 31st pct. | ● steady |
| Yakima River at Umtanum, WA | 7 of 7 | 647 cfs | 30th pct. | ● steady |
| Umatilla River near Umatilla, OR | 7 of 7 | 210 cfs | 71st pct. | ● steady |
| Madison River below Ennis Lake, near McAllister, MT | 7 of 7 | 1,410 cfs | 28th pct. | ● steady |
| Yakima River at Kiona, WA | 7 of 7 | 2,010 cfs | 27th pct. | ● steady |
| Kootenai River below Libby Dam, near Libby, MT | 7 of 7 | 4,240 cfs | 27th pct. | ● steady |
| Yellowstone River near Livingston, MT | 7 of 7 | 1,630 cfs | 25th pct. | ● steady |
| Middle Fork Flathead River near West Glacier, MT | 7 of 7 | 510 cfs | 25th pct. | ● steady |
| Deschutes River at Moody, near Biggs, OR | 7 of 7 | 4,350 cfs | 24th pct. | ● steady |
| Skokomish River near Potlatch, WA | 7 of 7 | 327 cfs | 24th pct. | ● steady |
| Salmon River at White Bird, ID | 7 of 7 | 4,040 cfs | 23rd pct. | ● steady |
| South Fork McKenzie River near Rainbow, OR | 7 of 7 | 395 cfs | 23rd pct. | ● steady |
| Deschutes River near Madras, OR | 7 of 7 | 3,790 cfs | 23rd pct. | ● steady |
| Willamette River at Salem, OR | 7 of 7 | 6,910 cfs | 22nd pct. | ● steady |
| Rogue River at Raygold, near Central Point, OR | 7 of 7 | 1,150 cfs | 22nd pct. | ● steady |
| Silver Creek at Sportsman Access, near Picabo, ID | 7 of 7 | 100 cfs | 21st pct. | ● steady |
| Skagit River at Marblemount, WA | 7 of 7 | 3,470 cfs | 21st pct. | ● steady |
| Madison River near Cameron, MT | 7 of 7 | 994 cfs | 20th pct. | ● steady |
| Yellowstone River at Billings, MT | 7 of 7 | 3,110 cfs | 20th pct. | ● steady |
| North Santiam River at Niagara, OR | 7 of 7 | 1,230 cfs | 20th pct. | ● steady |
| Bighorn River below Yellowtail Afterbay Dam, near St. Xavier, MT | 7 of 7 | 1,780 cfs | 17th pct. | ● steady |
| Klickitat River near Pitt, WA | 7 of 7 | 596 cfs | 16th pct. | ● steady |
| Skagit River near Mount Vernon, WA | 7 of 7 | 6,940 cfs | 16th pct. | ● steady |
| McKenzie River near Vida, OR | 7 of 7 | 1,630 cfs | 13th pct. | ● steady |
| Rogue River at Grants Pass, OR | 7 of 7 | 1,150 cfs | 12th pct. | ● steady |
| Henrys Fork near Island Park, ID | 7 of 7 | 91.9 cfs | 11th pct. | ● steady |
| Chehalis River near Grand Mound, WA | 7 of 7 | 243 cfs | 11th pct. | ● steady |
| Crooked River below Opal Springs, near Culver, OR | 7 of 7 | 1,280 cfs | 10th pct. | ▲ rising |
| Methow River at Winthrop, WA | 7 of 7 | 206 cfs | 10th pct. | ● steady |
| Williamson River below Sprague River, near Chiloquin, OR | 7 of 7 | 533 cfs | 10th pct. | ● steady |
| Metolius River near Grandview, OR | 7 of 7 | 1,190 cfs | 9th pct. | ● steady |
| Rogue River near Agness, OR | 6 of 7 | 1,430 cfs | 17th pct. | ● steady |
| Snake River near Irwin, ID | 6 of 7 | 1,420 cfs | 12th pct. | ● steady |
| Henrys Fork at St. Anthony, ID | 5 of 7 | 1,370 cfs | 58th pct. | ▲ rising |
| Lochsa River near Lowell, ID | 5 of 7 | 421 cfs | 24th pct. | ● steady |
| Toutle River at Tower Road, near Silver Lake, WA | 4 of 7 | 469 cfs | 25th pct. | ● steady |
| Beaverhead River near Twin Bridges, MT | 3 of 7 | 290 cfs | 35th pct. | ▲ rising |
| Grande Ronde River at Troy, OR | 3 of 7 | 719 cfs | 28th pct. | ● steady |
| Beaverhead River at Dillon, MT | 2 of 7 | 159 cfs | 46th pct. | ● steady |
| Minam River at Minam, OR | 2 of 7 | 77.2 cfs | 39th pct. | ▲ rising |
| North Fork John Day River at Monument, OR | 2 of 7 | 119 cfs | 29th pct. | ▲ rising |
| Missouri River below Holter Dam, near Wolf Creek, MT | 2 of 7 | 3,150 cfs | 16th pct. | ● steady |
| South Fork Clearwater River at Stites, ID | 1 of 7 | 246 cfs | 53rd pct. | ▲ rising |
| Madison River near West Yellowstone, MT | 1 of 7 | 356 cfs | 17th pct. | ▲ rising |
| Henrys Fork near Ashton, ID | 0 of 7 | 804 cfs | 11th pct. | ▲ rising |
Running above normal (High but doable)
Above normal for the date but not extreme. These may suit experienced anglers and boaters; check local reports.
| River | Days in range (last 7) | Flow | Vs. normal | 24 h |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackfoot River near Bonner, MT | 7 of 7 | 734 cfs | 81st pct. | ▲ rising |
| Big Hole River near Melrose, MT | 7 of 7 | 657 cfs | 84th pct. | ▲ rising |
| Clark Fork above Missoula, MT | 6 of 7 | 1,960 cfs | 86th pct. | ▲ rising |
By region
- Deschutes Basin: 4 of 4 in range
- Mt. Hood & Columbia Gorge: 1 of 7 in range
- Olympic Peninsula: 1 of 9 in range
- Willamette Valley & Willamette Basin: 6 of 9 in range
- West Cascades (Oregon & Washington): 8 of 23 in range
- East Cascades (Oregon & Washington): 7 of 11 in range
- Southern Oregon: 5 of 9 in range
- Oregon Coast: 0 of 8 in range
- Eastern Oregon: 4 of 5 in range
- North Cascades & Puget Sound: 4 of 14 in range
- Southwest Washington: 5 of 8 in range
- Eastern Washington: 4 of 9 in range
- Eastern Idaho: Henrys Fork & Snake River: 4 of 6 in range
- Salmon River Country (Idaho): 4 of 4 in range
- North Idaho: Clearwater, St. Joe & Coeur d'Alene: 4 of 5 in range
- Southwest & South-Central Idaho: 6 of 6 in range
- Southwest Montana: Madison & Gallatin: 5 of 5 in range
- Southwest Montana: Beaverhead & Big Hole: 2 of 4 in range
- South-Central Montana: Yellowstone & Bighorn: 5 of 5 in range
- Missouri River & Smith River (Montana): 4 of 4 in range
- Western Montana: Clark Fork, Bitterroot & Blackfoot: 4 of 7 in range
- Northwest Montana: Flathead & Kootenai: 3 of 4 in range
How this list is made
This page is regenerated from live USGS gauge data every time the site updates; nothing is hand-picked and no one pays to appear on it. “In range” is a flow comparison only. It does not tell you about fish, hatches, water clarity, wood in the river, or the skill needed for a given stretch. Read how to read a status and check local reports before you go.
Data from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Readings are provisional and subject to revision. Flowcast statuses are automated comparisons with each gauge's own history, not safety ratings or fishing reports. Check local conditions, weather, regulations and closures before you go. Rivers can change quickly.