Complete Guide To Eastern Washington's Spokane River
Words by Chip O'Brien
While I might hesitate to date a woman whose only redeeming quality is that she's "available," that's not necessarily a bad thing if you're a wild trout stream.
Rivers are often described in glowing terms and a list of superlatives that could choke a horse. We're not going there today. Wahington’s Spokane River is an urban fishery, meaning it comes with a host of manmade challenges that more remote trout streams blissfully avoid. Yet it's capable of serving up some outstanding wild trout fishing, and it's so close to home.
In fact, the best thing about the Spokane isn't that it's drop-dead gorgeous or produces fish the size of pregnant hippopotami. Instead, it's location, location, location: no need to burn windshield time or take out a second mortgage to pay for the gas to get somewhere. There aren't a ton of other rivers near Spokane, just the North Fork Coeur d'Alene and St. Joe rivers over in Idaho. So, for those of us who prefer our water moving, the Spokane is that much more appealing.
The Spokane may not be a world-class and famous trout fishery, like the Madison or Missouri rivers, but if you live in the Spokane area, it's close enough to fish all day, or just for an hour after work, and not miss cocktail hour afterwards. And there are some splendid wild redband trout in it. Redbands over 20 inches are not uncommon.
Unlike pristine, blue-ribbon trout streams far away from population centers, where fish are counted by the thousands, our river has hundreds of trout per mile. But cagey Spokane anglers turn that negative into a positive: there ARE hundreds of trout per mile, and they are very close by. It's all a matter of perspective. Where else can you find that many wild trout in such proximity to almost half a million people?
The Fishery
The Columbia River redband trout, native to the Spokane, is a unique subspecies of rainbow often found in arid, inland environments of the American West. They tend to have larger, more rounded spots than common rainbow trout, and frequently display the orange slash of a cutthroat trout under their jaw. Some never lose their juvenile parr marks (purplish, oval side markings) when they grow to adulthood. There are also many native mountain whitefish to be caught
The Spokane also supports small populations of wild brown trout (vestiges of the old days when browns were stocked in the river), smallmouth bass, and westslope cutthroat trout (presumably washed over Post Falls from Lake Coeur d'Alene) east of downtown. Current management emphasizes protecting the native redbands, so browns have not been stocked for many years. It's very rare to catch anything in the Spokane but native redband trout, unless you're fishing for bass in the warm-water area east of downtown.
The Spokane is open to angling year-round, except for 10 weeks in the spring (March 15-Saturday before Memorial Day) to protect spawning redband trout. Aside from the Little Spokane River west of downtown, there aren't any other tributaries for trout to spawn in. Fortunately, local trout have adapted well to spawning in the mainstem. The first two or three weeks after the river reopens to fishing at the end of May, you can enjoy the most profuse caddis hatch/spinnerfall of the year, just before dark. A humble Elk-Hair Caddis is all you need, but if I had to choose one fly it would be Sam Wike's Party on Top Caddis, size 14.
Can an urban wild trout fishery offer good fishing? You bet it can. Many anglers fish the Spokane successfully, and the river supports numerous guides and clients every year, at least on a part-time basis. But it's wise to have appropriate expectations, and learning as much as you can about the river and the fish in it is the best way to understand our only really local fishery.
Something that doesn't take long for most anglers to figure out is the fish move around frequently. The Spokane has the same riffle, run, pool, profile that a lot of wild trout streams do, but add to that a lot of deep, slow sections that are more lake-like than stream-like. Trout on the Spokane move back and forth between water types based on food, temperature, lighting and spawning activity. It's not uncommon to have really good fishing one day and get skunked the next. The best remedy for this is either floating the river instead of wading, or being aggressive in moving around until you find the fish. Generally speaking, I frequently find larger trout east of downtown, and more trout west of downtown.
Angling Strategies
Most successful anglers on the Spokane fish nymphs under strike indicators. The winter season is the time for midges and tiny baetis mayfly patterns, like Perdigons and Rainbow Warriors in sizes 18-20. While there are not a ton of large stoneflies in the Spokane, there's something about a Pat's Rubberlegs that fish really like. Lots of anglers slay fish on a two-fly rig, with a Pat's on top and a Perdigon on point. The first larger insect you're likely to see is the skwala stonefly, which shows up in March. Only problem? The river closes to fishing March 15, so it isn't a significant hatch for most anglers.
The river re-opens just before Memorial Day as the weather warms. This is prime caddisfly time. Both Brachycentrus and Hydropsyche caddisflies are at their apex. Get ready for a couple weeks of terrific dry-fly fishing just before dark. These hatches provide, arguably, the best fishing on the Spokane all year. But don’t sleep on summer: there’s always potential for hatching mayflies and caddisflies just before dark.
While a size-16 Elk-Hare Caddis always get looks (and a few fish) don't hesitate to switch it up to less common caddisfly imitations. Sometimes, all it takes to trigger a strike is showing the trout something a bit different. Sparkle Pupa Emergers, Wike's Cuzzball, CDC Caddis Emergers or X-Caddis in sizes 14-16 are all good options. Swinging Soft Hackles on a single-handed or trout spey rod can provide some great summer fun.
Flows during summer come way down, and summer wet wading can be wonderful. Think nymph rigs during the day and transition to dry flies or trout spey in the evenings.
Fall hatches on the Spokane (other than baetis) are typically sparse. Fortunately, you don't need to be an entomologist to succeed on the Spokane, and Euro nymphs have made all the difference. Most Euro nymphs imitate small mayflies or caddisflies, which are already the foundation of the trout diet. So, worry less about exactly which Euro nymph you tie on, and pay more attention to how well you are presenting those flies. Wild fish take a dim view of poorly presented flies.
Fortunately, the Spokane has a great October caddis hatch (Dicosmoecus) in September and October, so the size of the dry flies you toss just before dark gets bigger! The October caddis is the last big hatch of the year before the fish go back to their focus on tiny mayfly nymphs. You can fish October Caddis nymphs in the afternoon while the pupa crawl toward shore to emerge. Many end up dislodged and available to fish as they drift. Once the sun is off the water in the evenings (4-5 p.m. in October) it's time to throw big dry flies. Ken Morrish's October Caddis Adult, size 8, would be an excellent imitation.
My favorite way to fish this hatch is to locate a boulder garden either east or west of town. You don't need to be delicate. Slap that big caddisfly down in front of and behind exposed rocks. Takes sometimes come immediately, as soon as the fly hits the water. Good nymph patterns for this hatch include Morrish's Deep October Pupa (size 8), Peeping October Caddis or the Umpqua October Caddis nymph. You might fish hopper-dropper style in the afternoon, showing the fish both nymph and dry fly, but in the hour or so before dark I'm generally only throwing dry flies.
The largest redbands in the Spokane usually fall for streamers. The river does boast fair numbers of larger fish, and fish over 20-inches are not uncommon. I usually reach for streamers when I'm fishing just before dark, either with a single-handed rod or a trout spey. You might just have a point in accusing me of always reaching for Sparkle Minnows (sizes 2-6) as my go-to streamer choice. The Sparkle Minnow seems to work equally well in all the rivers and lakes around Spokane. Black, brown or olive Woolly Buggers are a good choice, as are Muddler Minnows, Sex Dungeons, Sculpzillas, Zonkers and Game Changers. A sink-tip line or sinking head gets streamers down to where the fish are.
Two Distinct Sections
It's best to think of the Spokane as two very different rivers, one east of downtown, the other west.
East of Downtown
This 21-mile section flows between Post Falls Dam and Upriver Dam (creeping a few miles into Idaho). The dominant fish in the Spokane River east of downtown is not a trout; it's smallmouth bass. And it's a too-often-told tale:
Some "bucket biologist" supposedly (and illegally) tossed smallmouth bass from Hayden Lake into Lake Coeur d'Alene. In the year 2000, they were documented in the Spokane River below Post Falls Dam. For several years, there was an electroshocking campaign to rid the upper river of smallmouth bass, but biologists have since given up. Smallmouth bass are here to stay. Strangely enough, there was actually a place for this invasive species to thrive in the Spokane River thanks to what we call "The Great Summer Temperature Divide."
The Spokane is mainly formed by the collective flows of the North Fork Coeur d'Alene and St. Joe rivers, becoming Lake Coeur d'Alene. As surface temperatures in the lake warm up in summer, the water going over the top of Post Falls Dam (forming the Spokane River) can reach almost 80 degrees. Water that warm would kill a trout. So that is the niche the smallies have slipped into.
A natural question might be, If the water going over Post Falls Dam is almost 80 degrees in summer, how do any trout survive east of downtown? The only reason they can is because of the Spokane Valley Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer, a huge, cold reservoir of underground water that begins feeding large volumes of cold water back into the river in the vicinity of the Sullivan Road Bridge and below. The aquifer pumps enough cold water back into the Spokane to bring the temperature down enough to support trout.
East of downtown, you can fish for wild trout or smallmouth bass, depending on the time of year and where you are relative to Sullivan Road. During the cool season, you are likely to find trout and smallmouth bass all mixed up together. But once it gets hot out (mainly July and August), the fish separate by temperature: smallmouth bass above Sullivan Road, wild trout below.
Water quantity can also be a concern east of downtown. 2025 was a low-water year; there was a brief period where there was no water at all in the river for a mile above the Sullivan Road Bridge. It's happened numerous times east of downtown.
It's hard to beat a BH Woolly Bugger or anything that resembles a crayfish while fishing for smallmouth bass east of town, especially during the summer months. According to Randy Osborn, local Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist, "If you throw anything out there that looks like a crayfish, something will eat it before it hits bottom." There you go. The fish are there and looking for food.
Summer evenings either find me tossing Elk Hair Caddis or Perdigons under an indicator for trout (or soft hackles on my trout spey rod), or streamers on a sink-tip line for smallmouth bass. So many ways and places to fish!
Wading access both east and west of downtown is pretty good, thanks to the Centennial Bike Trail that parallels most of the river and Riverside State Park. The Spokane is a big, deep, slippery river to wade. I wear felted boots with studs and always bring a wading staff.
Consult this website when seeking information on accessing the Spokane River (https://www.spokaneriver.net/watertrail/). It shows every access to the Spokane River, along with what kind of boats (if any) may be launched there.
Fishing the river from a boat is more efficient than wade fishing, only because you're always showing your flies to new fish as you drift down. In a boat, you don't need to cast very far, so I like to use the large Oros strike indicators. One or two Euro nymphs under an indicator and maybe a split shot are all you need.
East of downtown, most of the guides put in at Stateline (the Idaho/Washington border) and take out at either Harvard, or Barker, but there are lots of other options. If you're willing to pick up an Idaho fishing license, the float from Corbin Park to Stateline is just three miles and popular with smallmouth bass junkies. From Stateline to Harvard Road is a 3.6-mile float, and exiting the river at Barker will add another 2.3 miles to your float. Taking out at Sullivan will add 2.7 miles. There is also a boat slide at Islands Trailhead (three miles west of Sullivan), but it requires a very long rope and a winch to pull rafts up the hill, so it doesn't get a lot of traffic.
The Spokane is a big river with not that many trout per mile, so it behooves you to cover a lot of water. By definition, you're already doing that in a boat. Wade fishing the Spokane requires some pretty good casting and line handling ability. The Spokane has every kind of water imaginable, so many different techniques work. There are areas where you can wade close to riffles and runs, areas very conducive to Euro nymphing. Other areas feature perfect "swing water" where tossing streamers or soft hackles on a trout spey makes perfect sense.
The most productive way to fish the Spokane is usually just nymphs under strike indicators. For the wading angler that means quartering your casts upstream, the farther the better. As your strike indicator drifts back towards you, manage slack by stripping in line. When your strike indicator passes in front of you, make a big upstream mend so your fly line is now drifting straight down, indicator first. Point your rod at your strike indicator and shake line downstream through a series of mends for as long as you can see that indicator. By combining an upstream cast, one big mend, and then feeding line downstream for as far as you can handle, you can achieve drag-free drifts as long as 100 feet or more. Cover as much water as you can.
This sort of line handling might seem challenging at first, but it's not rocket science. You need slack between your rod tip and your indicator to maintain a drag-free drift. But if you let too much slack creep into the system, you won't be able to set the hook when a fish grabs your fly. Try to keep your slack shorter than the length of your rod.
Some of the more popular areas for wading east of downtown include Harvard Road Park, Barker Road, Mirabeau Park, Plante's Ferry, and the Island's Trailhead. Most accesses to the Spokane require a Discover Pass for parking. You can also hike up or downstream on the Centennial Trail in certain places, but be on guard. There was an incident in spring 2026 where an angler was hiking the Centennial Trail with his rod and reel, searching for a place to enter the river. A guy on an ebike came up from behind, very quietly, grabbed the rod and reel out of the angler's hand, and kept going. Happily, a police report was filed, so he got his gear back. Police were alerted when the thief tried to sell it to a local pawn shop. Such is fishing in an "urban" trout stream.
Downtown
There are trout in the river around Riverfront Park, and maybe some other aquatic creatures you weren't expecting. One teenager had a pretty big day in August 2011 when he was fishing behind the carousel in Riverfront Park. He hooked and landed a 42-inch northern pike right there to everyone's great surprise. Current fishing regulations set no limit on how many “Lime Scooters” you can harvest.
West of Downtown
At least there are no bass west of downtown. For most of us, "west of downtown" means the water between Redband Park downtown and Pese Flats (below Riverside State Park downstream), about 10 miles of river. Below, things begin to slow down and become more lake-like. The most popular float is Redband Park to the sewer treatment plant. It's both productive and convenient. You can either take your time and make a full day of it or just hit the most productive riffles and runs and make it a half-day. Guides and regular floaters on the Spokane arrange their own shuttles, as there are no commercial options in the area.
Most guides who float this section put in at the boat slide at Redband Park and take out at the rough boat launch just past the "Poo Plant" (Riverside Park Water Reclamation Facility), a couple of miles west of downtown. Somehow, I always find big fish right where the effluent spills into the river. There is also plenty of wading access, both upstream and downstream of the "Poo Plant."
People's Park on the west side of downtown offers easy access to the Centennial Trail on both sides of the river and plenty of good spots for wading anglers to enter the river. Right next to Sandifer Footbridge, adjacent to the People's Park parking lot, you can observe a local Spokane phenomenon.
There, on the old bridge pilings next to the Sandifer Footbridge, you will notice not one, but two bicycles securely fastened to the top of the bridge pilings. The first appeared out of nowhere in September 2002. No one knows who put it there, how they got it there, or how they managed to secure it to the top of the bridge piling. A better question is, Why did they put it there? A second bicycle appeared in December, 2025. Both have become local landmarks, of a sort.
As you drive along the Spokane River west of downtown, the road parallels the river as it descends toward Riverside State Park. The obvious parking places are not accidents. Most offer paths down to the river that lead to likely fishing spots. They are all worth exploring, but watch for poison ivy and avoid secluded places. Never forget the Spokane is an urban river. Watch for potentially dangerous people and trash, like drug paraphernalia. I've never been hassled by anyone while fishing the Spokane, but the potential is there. I have been known to carry bear spray. Cars parked off the beaten path are occasionally vulnerable to break-ins. Urban fisheries… sheesh.
Riverside State Park offers a ton of good access for the wading angler. Cross the footbridge, trudge up the 37 steps to the path paralleling the river, and head either upstream or down. There are fewer "urban" hassles fishing inside the park (no illegal campers, trash or byproducts of drug use), which is why it's a popular place to fish. You definitely need a Discover Pass to park in the State Park.
Fishing the Spokane usually means fishing Euro nymphs under strike indicators. The main mayfly found in the river during summer is the Pale Morning Dun (PMD, Ephemerella excrucians) in sizes 14-18. Best flies include Perdigons, Sexy Walt's Worms, Blowtorches, etc. Basically, anything that looks like a small mayfly will get attention. And never leave your Pat's Rubberlegs or Squirmies at home either. They all catch fish on the Spokane. The key is long, dead drifts to cover the water.
Why Not Thousands of Fish Per Mile?
In the 1880s, when Bunker Hill Mine set up operations on the South Fork Coeur d'Alene River over in Idaho (a tributary of Lake Coeur d'Alene, which becomes the Spokane River), few people understood the impact heavy metal toxins had on the environment. It wasn't long after various mines started dumping large quantities of lead, zinc, cadmium, and arsenic into the rivers that people started noticing the adverse effects on the environment. Today, Bunker Hill Mine is one of the largest and most complex Superfund sites in the nation.
But these mines were the foundation of the local economy, so they continued dumping into local rivers unabated for at least another 70 years. Today, it's estimated that there are some 75 million metric tons of lake sediment contaminated with heavy metal toxins, now at rest on the bottom of the lake. Though water quality is considered safe for swimming, creatures that live mainly on the bottom of lakes and streams are few and far between.
The other major source of water quality issues in the Spokane are PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), which are found in substances like hydraulic oil, paint, plastics, pigments, etc. PCBs were in many types of industrial discharge for decades in the Spokane before they were banned (they are carcinogenic) in 1979. PCBs are "forever chemicals" that bioaccumulate in the fatty tissues of fish.
Angling regulations for the Spokane River fall under Washington’s "Selective Gear Rules.” That means single, barbless hooks, no bait allowed, and only knotless nets may be used. The vast majority of trout in the Spokane are wild fish, and these must be released unharmed. The regulations have a provision for harvesting a few hatchery fish, but these are very few and far between, usually between the downtown dams, and have their adipose fins clipped. I've never seen one, but occasionally Avista Utilities is said to seed the river with a few fish.
Before considering eating any fish from the Spokane River check local health advisories. WDF&W recommends not eating any fish taken between the Idaho border and Upriver Dam. In other sections of the river, warnings recommend limited consumption.
No entity does more for the benefit of the Spokane River than the Spokane Riverkeeper. These folks, along with many volunteers, drag tons and tons of trash out of the Spokane River every year and are worth our generous support.
Equipment
You can fish the Spokane with a 9-foot, 5-weight rod, but because it's wise to cover as much water as possible, a 10-foot, 6-weight rod/reel combo is a better choice. Bonus: this setup is perfect for fishing the many lakes in the Spokane area, so it's a useful rod/reel setup to have in your quiver. A 12-foot leader tapered to 3X or 4X is about right for nymphing.
Wading in the Spokane is notoriously challenging. Felted wading boots with studs and a wading staff are good options for keeping wading anglers from transforming into swimming anglers. And sections of the Spokane are fast and deep, especially during spring runoff. There are also sections of the river (depending on flows) that are ideal for Euro nymphing and trout spey. I fish a 10 ½-foot, 3-weight rod for my Euro setup. My trout spey is an 11'4" rod for a 4-weight line.
Just because you can describe the Spokane as being, oh, so available, doesn't mean you're now dating the ugly stepsister. It's a beautiful river in its own right, while admittedly dealing with numerous "urban" issues. But there are abundant fish in the river, happy to take a well-presented fly, and some are over 20 inches. It could, in fact, become your favorite place to fish.
Fly Shops, Eats, & Drinks
There are two North 40 Outfitters (House of Fly) fly shops in the Spokane area, one in west Spokane (out near the airport) and a new one in Mead (largest fly shop in the Spokane area and also offers a coffee shop). Shop employees know the Spokane River very well both east and west of downtown and are good sources of current information on access, hatches and effective fly patterns. One intriguing quality of fishing the Spokane is you can take all that driving time you're saving and use it to discover killer places to eat and drink.
For pizza I'd recommend either Republic Pi, The Flying Goat or South Perry Pizza. Manito Tap is frequently at the top of a list of best brewpubs in Washington State with terrific food and at least 50 beers on tap. If you're fishing east of downtown it's a great idea to swing by Arbor Crest Winery for a glass of wine afterwards.
If floating from Stateline to Sullivan east of downtown a terrific breakfast option would be Max's on Mirabou. West of downtown the best breakfast in Spokane is Frank's Diner on west 2nd Ave. (not far from the Redband Park boat slide).
A few other terrific dining spots downtown include Anthony's at Spokane Falls and the Osprey. No-Li Brewhouse offers the best dive bar burger in the area. The best steaks in Spokane can be found at Churchill's Steakhouse or Clinkerdagger, both downtown.
The Regs
The Spokane is subject to Selective Gear Rules. Gear is limited to artificial flies with single, barbless hooks. Up to three flies may be used. Only knotless nets are allowed.
Sounds straightforward, right? However, angling regulations on the Spokane are somewhat confusing. The rules say you can harvest two fish but must release all trout other than hatchery rainbow trout. What hatchery rainbow trout? If you find one, the hatchery fish have their adipose fins clipped so anglers can tell them from wild fish. Most anglers just catch and release.
Washington State Fishing Regulations 2026/2027 Downloadable PDF