June 16, 2026 Spring/Summer Chinook Update

South Fork Salmon River Opener: The Fish Are Here!

Hi everyone,

The South Fork Salmon River summer Chinook fishery opens this Thursday, June 18, and I'm sure you're all just as excited as I am.

The run continues to build, and we're refining our harvest share estimate daily as more fish move through the hydrosystem.

As of June 16, we estimate that 2,387 adipose-clipped hatchery adults destined for the South Fork have crossed Bonneville Dam. Of those fish, 1,342 have already crossed Lower Granite Dam, including approximately 636 adipose-clipped hatchery adults in just the past seven days.

Fish Are Moving Quickly

River flows throughout the Salmon Basin are running well below normal this year.

Typically, flows on the South Fork Salmon River at the Krassel gauge are at or above 1,000 cfs this time of year. Today, that gauge is reading just 600 cfs (see below).

The Salmon River at White Bird is also running considerably lower than average. These lower flows are allowing fish to move through the system quickly.

As of today, we estimate approximately 850 adult Chinook salmon have already entered the South Fork Salmon River drainage, including about 560 adipose-clipped hatchery fish. In addition, McCall Hatchery staff are currently processing roughly 25 fish at the South Fork trap this morning.

In short—the fish are here.

Current Harvest Share Outlook

There are still fish crossing Bonneville Dam, and we estimate roughly 1,000 additional South Fork fish have yet to pass Lower Granite Dam. Because of that, our final harvest share has not been fully established.

However, using the number of fish currently over Bonneville and applying the recent five-year average Bonneville-to-Lower Granite conversion rate of approximately 74%, we can make a reasonable projection (see below).

Based on current information, it appears we will be targeting a harvest share of approximately 420 adipose-clipped adults this year.

If additional fish continue moving through the hydrosystem at favorable rates, that number could increase.

What to Expect This Weekend

The combination of strong fish movement and favorable weather should make for a promising opener.

I expect fishing to be good during the first four-day interval. There should be plenty of fish in the system, and the forecast is looking excellent for anglers planning to spend the weekend on the river.

That said, this year's harvest share is relatively modest, so I expect the fishery to move quickly.

To get a sense of what this season might look like, I reviewed several previous South Fork fisheries. The year that most closely resembles 2026 appears to be 2015, when run timing was very similar and the fishery opened on the same weekend.

During that fishery, anglers harvested between 25 and 100 fish per day.

If harvest averages around 50 adults per day this year, we could reasonably expect two four-day fishing intervals before approaching our harvest share. If catch rates exceed that level, the season could be shorter.

At this point, I do not expect the fishery to remain open through a third four-day interval.

If fishing the South Fork is on your summer calendar, I would strongly encourage you to plan your trip early.

A Few Reminders Before You Go

The daily limit on the South Fork Salmon River is four Chinook per day, only one of which may be an adult.

It appears that a fair number of jacks are returning this year, which means some anglers may have an opportunity to fill their entire daily limit of four fish. However, remember that once you harvest an adult Chinook, your fishing day is over.

The fishery is open Thursday through Sunday from the posted boundary 50 yards below Jakie Creek Bridge upstream to the posted boundary 100 yards below the South Fork weir.

Season details and complete regulations can be found in the summer Chinook rules document in the link below: 2026_summerchinookseasons-rules_mobilefriendly.pdf

See You on the River

IDFG staff will once again be operating the check station on the South Fork Road near Warm Lake throughout the fishery.

We're excited to provide this opportunity for you all and look forward to seeing many of you on the river in the coming weeks.

Good luck, travel safely, and enjoy the opener.