Fall Chinook Harvest Season Ends Next Week, Mostly

Chinook salmon fishing will end on the Snake and Clearwater rivers Thursday, October 31 - except a short reach on the Snake River below Hells Canyon Dam, which closes November 17. The season opened September 1, on the Snake River between Lewiston and Hells Canyon Dam, in the lower Clearwater River downstream of the U.S. Highway 12 Memorial Bridge in Lewiston, and in the Salmon River from its mouth upstream to Eye of the Needle Rapids. The Snake River, from Cliff Mountain Rapids to Hells Canyon Dam, remains open until further notice or November 17. The daily bag limit is six adult Chinook salmon, the possession limit is 18 adult Chinook and there is no fall season limit on adult Chinook. Only adipose-fin-clipped salmon may be kept. Only adult Chinook must be recorded on the angler's salmon permit. There are no limits on jacks, but anglers must have a valid Idaho fishing license and salmon permit to fish for salmon. As of October 21, anglers had caught 267 marked adults and 161 jacks fall Chinook and caught and released 1,142 unmarked fish in the lower Clearwater River. They caught and kept 861 adults and 671 jacks in the Snake River, for a total of 1,532 fish. Hatchery-origin fish are marked with a clipped adipose fin. This year, almost 54,812 adult fall hatchery-origin Chinook and about 21,366 jacks crossed Lower Granite Dam, many of them returned to the Snake River above Lewiston.