Tuesday, September 22, 2026
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Photo by NICK GERHARDT
A steelhead jumps in Big Bear Falls in the Potlatch River system.

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Calling steelhead back to Potlatch River
March 9, 2017 midnight

Calling steelhead back to Potlatch River

Every year, hundreds of wild steelhead swim 500 miles from the Pacific Ocean to spawn in the Potlatch River, a tributary of the Clearwater River about 15 miles upstream of Lewiston. Unfortunately, the Potlatch’s steelhead numbers are a fraction of what they once were, but the Idaho Department of Fish and Game is starting a major habitat restoration project so it can be home for more steelhead in the future.