IMPORTANT NOTICE (Click links to view official closure notice)
Spring Chinook Fishery Update (5/27/2026)
idfg-jthiessen
HARVEST SHARES
The projected spring Chinook Salmon harvest shares for May 27, 2026, are shown in the table below. Harvest shares decreased again this week due to continued low returns over Bonneville Dam and lower-than-expected survival to Lower Granite Dam.
Current projected harvest shares are:
Clearwater: 970 adults
Hells Canyon: 240 adults
Rapid River: 620 adults
Based on the season structure tables, these harvest shares keep all open fisheries in the current season structure of a 4-day fishery, Thursday through Sunday, with a 1-adult daily bag limit.
The exceptions are the Snake River (Hells Canyon), Lochsa River, and South Fork Clearwater River fisheries, which remain open 7 days a week with a 2-adult daily bag limit.
Counts at Bonneville Dam continue to fall after the peak of the spring Chinook run occurred in late April this year. Typically, several smaller pulses of fish usually follow the peak of the run and help sustain fishing opportunity later into the season. Bonneville Dam passage counts are shown in the figure below.
As illustrated, the peak of this year’s run (red line) exceeded the 10-year average (dotted line). However, returns dropped off rapidly afterward, and the smaller late season pulses that anglers typically rely on simply did not materialize this year. As a result, there were not enough fish moving upstream later in the run to sustain fisheries for an extended period. This lack of returning fish has drastically limited fishing opportunity in Idaho this season.
The trend observed at Bonneville Dam is also being seen throughout the hydro system and is closely mirrored in fish passage above Lower Granite Dam. At this point, approximately 97% of the spring Chinook destined for Idaho waters have already passed Bonneville Dam, and the majority of the run has now returned above Lower Granite.
Cumulative spring Chinook counts above Lower Granite Dam are shown below. This year’s run (red line) is tracking well below the 10-year average and is dramatically lower than last year’s return (dotted line). Unfortunately, given the trends observed over the past several weeks, this is not particularly surprising at this point in the season.
Clearwater River Fisheries
Harvest remained moderate in the Clearwater fisheries last week, with a total of 233 adult Chinook harvested basin wide. With the lower Clearwater River closed, most of last week’s harvest occurred in the mid-Clearwater section (Cherrylane Bridge to Orofino Bridge), which accounted for 113 fish, and North Fork Clearwater, which accounted for 98 fish.
Catch rates varied considerably depending on location. The best fishing occurred in the Clearwater below Orofino Bridge and in the North Fork Clearwater, where anglers averaged roughly 34 hours per fish. For comparison, the North Fork averaged 6–9 hours per fish during this time last season, while the Clearwater “pass-through” fishery averaged around 20 hours per fish. Overall, this season has been noticeably more difficult than what anglers have become accustomed to over the past few years.
In total, 582 adult Chinook have been harvested in the Clearwater Basin, leaving 388 fish remaining before the current harvest share is reached. The remaining harvest allocation for the Clearwater Basin is shown below. The dark blue bars indicate the number of fish already harvested, while the light blue bars represent the remaining fish available for harvest. Percentages at the top of each column represent the portion of the overall Clearwater Basin harvest share allocated to each fishery section.
Given that 388 fish remain in the basin allocation, and anglers harvested 233 fish last week, Clearwater fisheries will remain open under the current season structure this week. That said, this is very likely shaping up to be the final week of fishing opportunity in much of the Clearwater Basin, as harvest shares continue to decline alongside diminishing returns of fish passing Bonneville Dam.
Rapid River Return
Harvest picked up considerably in the lower Salmon River last week as the peak portion of the run arrived. During the four days the fishery was open, anglers harvested 160 adult Chinook, with most of that harvest occurring between Rice Creek and Twin Bridges (111 adults). An additional 30 fish were harvested upstream of Time Zone Bridge. In comparison, harvest in the Little Salmon River remained low, with only 8 adult Chinook harvested last week.
As a reminder, salmon anglers have expressed a preference for distributing harvest opportunity approximately 55% in the Lower Salmon River and 45% in the Little Salmon River (see table below). Current harvest places the Lower Salmon River at roughly 24% of its allocated harvest share. Because most of the recent harvest occurred within River Code 10 of the Lower Salmon River, and approximately one-third of the fish entering that section are destined for the upper Salmon River, River Code 10 (Rice Creek to Twin Bridges) is now closed to Chinook fishing.
If we’ve learned anything from this year’s salmon run, it’s that each river section can expect roughly a week of good fishing before this short-lived run pushes upstream. With that in mind, I expect fishing to be moderately good around Riggins this weekend in both the Salmon and Little Salmon rivers. That said, given the harvest power of the Riggins-area fisheries, I do not expect these opportunities to persist for very long. Anglers should plan accordingly, as this may very well be the only realistic opportunity to harvest a Rapid River springer this season. Below is the remaining harvest share for the Rapid River return.
Hells Canyon
A total of 50 adult Chinook have been harvested in the Hells Canyon fishery so far, leaving 190 fish remaining in the current harvest share. Remaining harvest allocation is shown below. Trapping operations at Hells Canyon Dam are scheduled to begin June 1, 2026, after which catch rates and harvest typically decline. With 190 fish remaining in the harvest share, the Hells Canyon fishery will remain open 7 days per week with a 2-adult daily bag limit.
Message To The Anglers
This is a tough salmon season. Tensions are high, and everyone wants their fish. Please remember to be respectful, enjoy the opportunity we do have, and keep in mind how fortunate we are to live where these resources are still accessible.