Ask Fish and Game: Chinook Limits

Q: Why can I only keep one adult salmon on the Clearwater River when the limit is two in most other places? A: During years when there are more than enough Chinook salmon to satisfy hatchery goals, sport anglers in Idaho are allowed to harvest a certain percentage of that surplus. Once sport anglers have harvested that quota, the Commission is forced to close the season. In some years anglers fishing the main-stem, north fork and middle fork of the Clearwater River have harvested the allowable surplus before fishing on the south fork of the Clearwater heats up. By allowing only one adult Chinook per day on the main-stem, north fork and middle forks, managers hope to keep the season open long enough to allow anglers to have a shot at catching Chinook in the south fork before the season closes.