South Fork Salmon Update: July 8, 2025

Hi everyone,

The South Fork Salmon River Chinook Salmon fishery has officially closed for the season. As such, this will be my final update for the year. Read on for a recap of the final week and a few closing thoughts on the 2025 season.

South Fork Recap

The final interval of the season (June 30 – July 6) wrapped up nicely. Effort was a bit lower than in previous weeks, which we expected since the fishery was closed to adult harvest from Thursday through Sunday. The few anglers who made it out there for the final week experienced some outstanding catch rates—which averaged about 3.5 hours per fish caught.

Between Monday and Thursday, we estimated that 109 clipped adults were harvested. This brings our season total to 501 clipped adults harvested (see Table 1). Jack harvest also picked up during the final days; we estimate 63 clipped jacks were harvested in the last interval, bringing the season total to 88.

Harvest Estimation

I’ve received a few calls asking why the fishery closed when the check station board still showed adult harvest numbers in the 300s. It’s a good question, and I want to take a moment to clarify.

The number displayed at the check station represents only the fish we physically handled—not the total estimated harvest. We can’t intercept every harvested fish; anglers sometimes leave outside of staffed hours or through alternate routes. Because of this, our harvest estimate is always higher than the physical count.

This season, we handled about 75% of the estimated total harvest at the check station. That’s a solid rate, and as someone who fishes the South Fork myself, I believe it reflects the fishery accurately. The final harvest estimate was 128 more adults than what we touched directly—averaging out to about 7 adults per day over the 18-day season that we didn’t physically check. That’s reasonable, and I’m confident in the accuracy of this year’s estimates. 

Season Summary

Although our harvest share was relatively modest this year (520 clipped adults), we had great opportunity on the South Fork with 18 open days, including three full weekends with excellent catch rates. Many anglers were able to take home fish to share with family and friends, which is what this fishery is all about.

A few of us from the office even made it out during the last week, fishing with our kids and helping to pass on a love for salmon and the outdoors. Watching young anglers hook their first Chinook in such a spectacular canyon was a reminder of just how special this fishery really is. On one hand, I thought, “Man, these kids are lucky.” On the other, I realized, “They’re hooked now—just like the rest of us.”

Thanks to all of you for making this another great season on the South Fork. I hope you had a fantastic year on the water, and I look forward to seeing many of you out there again next season.

We’ll be holding season scoping meetings in February 2026—in person, with an option for online comments. I’ll send out an announcement with dates in January.

Until then, enjoy the rest of your summer. And as always, feel free to reach out if you want to talk fisheries management in the McCall Subregion.