July 28, 2026 South Fork Salmon River Chinook Update

Well, that's a wrap on another South Fork Salmon River Chinook season.

After opening on June 18, the fishery remained open for 34 days, including six full weekends of fishing. We’re now within 35 fish of our harvest share, and the Director's Office has signed a closure order effective at the end of fishing hours on Wednesday, July 29.

You can read the official closure announcement here: IDFG issues closure order for Chinook salmon fishing on South Fork Salmon River | Idaho Fish and Game

The table below summarizes harvest and catch rates for each fishing interval throughout the season.

A Season That Kept Surprising Us

I'll admit it—this season didn't unfold the way I expected.

Going into June, I wasn't sure we'd make it through two fishing intervals. Instead, the run continued to build, harvest share increased throughout the season, the fishery expanded from four days per week to seven days per week, and we were even able to increase the daily bag limit to two adult Chinook.

That's a pretty good outcome considering where we started.

This year's run was one of the most spread-out I've seen, and I think that certainly impacted fishing success. Even as more fish entered the system, they arrived in small groups over several weeks rather than in large pulses. As a result, catch rates improved steadily throughout the season but never quite reached the exceptional levels we've seen during some larger return years, leveling off at around eight hours per fish caught.

A Successful Season

By the time the fishery closes, we'll have essentially achieved our full harvest share while also meeting broodstock needs at McCall Hatchery. From a fisheries management standpoint, that's exactly what we're trying to accomplish.

Just as importantly, thousands of anglers had the opportunity to enjoy one of Idaho's premier Chinook fisheries. Throughout the season I spent a decent amount of time on the river. One of my favorite parts of the job is watching anglers catch their very first Chinook salmon, and this year there were plenty of those stories to celebrate.

Thank you to everyone who stopped to chat, shared fishing reports, or simply followed along with these weekly updates throughout the season. I hope the information helped you plan a trip or better understand how the fishery was progressing.

Until Next Year

This will be my final South Fork update for 2026.

I hope you all have a great rest of the summer, enjoy a successful fall hunting and fishing season, and I look forward to seeing many of you again at our season-setting and Chinook scoping meetings next February.

As always, if you have questions about this season or ideas for improving these weekly updates, don't hesitate to reach out. Jordan.messner@idfg.idaho.gov

Thanks for following along, and I'll see you on the river next year.