Upper Salmon River Chinook update - 6/26/2024

Hi everyone, the Upper Salmon River fishery opened this past Thursday (6/20/24), and we estimated that 2 hatchery adult Chinook Salmon were harvested during the first four days of the fishery. Angler effort was very low during the first week. We estimated that anglers fished for 276 hours between Thursday and Sunday. No anglers reported catching a jack or releasing any salmon which resulted in an average harvest rate of 138 hours per Chinook Salmon kept.

RULES 

The Upper Salmon River fishery is open 4 days a week (Thursday – Sunday), and it will reopen each Thursday until harvest share is reached, wild fish impacts are reached, or until August 10th, whichever comes first. The fishery is open from 100 yards upstream of the Valley Creek confluence to the posted boundary approximately 100 yards downstream of the weir and trap at the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery. Fishing hours are from 5:30am to 10:00 pm MDT. The daily limit is four (4) hatchery Chinook salmon, only two (2) of which may be adults (over 24 inches). For the full season rules, please click here.

RUN and HARVEST SHARE UPDATE

Below is a table showing the pre-season forecast and current (as of June 25th) PIT tag estimate at Bonneville Dam for adipose-clipped adult salmon returning to the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery. The run of Sawtooth Hatchery adults is nearly complete at Bonneville Dam, so we do not expect these numbers to change much, and we’ll start focusing more on the number of Sawtooth Hatchery adults that make it upstream of Lower Granite Dam instead. 

As of June 25th,  1,464 Sawtooth hatchery PIT tagged adult Chinook Salmon had crossed over Lower Granite Dam. Survival from Bonneville Dam to Lower Granite Dam for Sawtooth Hatchery adult salmon has been above average so far (currently 84% vs. 76% over the past 5 years). There are still nine PIT tagged Sawtooth Hatchery adult salmon yet to pass over Lower Granite Dam, so the PIT tag estimate and the harvest share (table below) are expected to climb over the next couple weeks as those fish make their way upstream. Using the previous 5-year average conversion rate, we are estimating that the Upper Salmon River harvest share for 2024 will land somewhere between 350 and 400 hatchery adult salmon. 

RIVER CONDITIONS

The Upper Salmon River is currently flowing at about 1,310 cfs (measured at the gauge below the Yankee Fork) which is 50% of average. With the below average flows, the river’s clarity has been excellent within the fishery area, and we expect fishing conditions to only improve during the upcoming week. 

HATCHERY TRAPPING

As of June 25th, 43 hatchery adult salmon have returned to the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery. Hatchery trapping numbers will be updated throughout the summer on the IDFG Hatchery Returns webpage, so make sure to bookmark that page if you want to stay up-to-date with the trapping totals.

If you have questions, comments, or would like to be added to my email update list, please reach out to me at: greg.schoby@idfg.idaho.gov or at the Salmon Regional Office at (208) 756-2271.