Rapid River (lower Salmon and Little Salmon rivers) - Seasons and limits
Idaho Fish and Game would like your input on what type of seasons and limits you would like to have for the Rapid River spring Chinook Salmon fishery.
Comments will be accepted through March 3.
The 2024 spring Chinook Salmon run to Rapid River is forecasted to provide a harvest share of around 2,510 adults. However, as occurred last year, the run in 2024 may come in lower than forecasted. For that reason, we want to know when initially setting seasons and limits if you would like us to start with the guidelines established for a lower harvest share (Option A: between 751-2,000 adults) or use the actual forecast (Option B: 2,510 adults) (see table below). Both options have the same limits and allow fishing in the same areas:
A daily limit of four (4) salmon with no more than one (1) being an adult
Season opens the fourth Saturday of April (April 27)
Fishing would be allowed on the lower Salmon River from Rice Creek Bridge to Shorts Creek and on the Little Salmon River from the mouth upstream to the Highway 95 bridge near Smokey Boulder Road
A season limit of 10 adult fish
The difference between these two options is how many days a week the fishery would be open:
Option A:Fishing four (4) days a week (Thursday – Sunday). This option is a more conservative approach that allows managers to better distribute harvest fairly across the fishery, and it typically allows the fishery to remain open for more weeks.
Option B:Fishing seven (7) days a week. This option provides more opportunity for people who work weekends, and it can provide days (Mon-Wed) when there will be less effort.
Regardless of what seasons and limits we start with, should the run come in significantly different than forecasted, our goal would be to follow the guidelines specified in the table below.
Chinook seasons and limits proposal table for the Rapid River Run based on harvest share
Option
Adult Harvest Share
Season
Limit
Open sections
<150
4 days a week
Jacks only
Upper Twin Bridge to Shorts Creek and Little Salmon River
151-750
2 days a week
1 adult
Upper Twin Bridge to Shorts Creek and Little Salmon River
Option A
751-2,000
4 days a week
1 adult
Rice Creek Bridge to Shorts Creek and Little Salmon River
Option B
2,001-3,000
7 days a week
1 adult
Rice Creek Bridge to Shorts Creek and Little Salmon River
3,001-12,000
7 days a week
2 adults
Rice Creek Bridge to Shorts Creek and Little Salmon River
>12,000
7 days a week
3 adults
Rice Creek Bridge to Shorts Creek and Little Salmon River
As a note, we have removed the section of river from Shorts Creek to Vinegar Creek boat ramp as a potential river section to provide a fishery because recent assessments found a significant number of Chinook Salmon harvested in this area were destined for upstream fisheries.
Idaho Fish and Game would like your input on what type of seasons and limits you would like to have for the Rapid River spring Chinook Salmon fishery.
Comments will be accepted through March 3.
The 2024 spring Chinook Salmon run to Rapid River is forecasted to provide a harvest share of around 2,510 adults. However, as occurred last year, the run in 2024 may come in lower than forecasted. For that reason, we want to know when initially setting seasons and limits if you would like us to start with the guidelines established for a lower harvest share (Option A: between 751-2,000 adults) or use the actual forecast (Option B: 2,510 adults) (see table below). Both options have the same limits and allow fishing in the same areas:
The difference between these two options is how many days a week the fishery would be open:
Option A: Fishing four (4) days a week (Thursday – Sunday). This option is a more conservative approach that allows managers to better distribute harvest fairly across the fishery, and it typically allows the fishery to remain open for more weeks.
Option B: Fishing seven (7) days a week. This option provides more opportunity for people who work weekends, and it can provide days (Mon-Wed) when there will be less effort.
Regardless of what seasons and limits we start with, should the run come in significantly different than forecasted, our goal would be to follow the guidelines specified in the table below.
Chinook seasons and limits proposal table for the Rapid River Run based on harvest share
As a note, we have removed the section of river from Shorts Creek to Vinegar Creek boat ramp as a potential river section to provide a fishery because recent assessments found a significant number of Chinook Salmon harvested in this area were destined for upstream fisheries.