Fall Chinook Harvest Season Proposed

Fishery managers predict the largest fall Chinook salmon run in four decades - they expect more than 28,000 fall Chinook to cross Lower Granite Dam on their way back to Idaho. Most of them are headed for the Snake River above the mouth of the Clearwater River, and Idaho Fish and Game has proposed a fall Chinook harvest season on the Snake River between Lewiston and Hells Canyon Dam. If approved by the Idaho Fish and Game Commission during its August 17 meeting, the fall Chinook season would open Tuesday, September 1 - the same day as the Snake River steelhead harvest season opens. It would remain open 24 hours a day, seven days a week until October 31 or until further notice. The daily limit would be one adult or jack fall Chinook, and three in possession; only fish with a clipped adipose fin, evidenced by a healed scar, may be kept. Anglers may keep 40 salmon for the year, including spring, summer and fall Chinook. All salmon and steelhead with an intact adipose fin must be immediately released unharmed back to the water. Fishing rules are the same as those for steelhead. Anglers may use only barbless hooks no larger than five-eighths inch from the point to the shank. When the daily, possession or season limit is reached, the angler must stop fishing for salmon, including catch-and-release. It is unlawful to take or fish for salmon and steelhead by snagging. Salmon and steelhead caught in a legal manner must be either released or killed immediately after landing. Anglers must have a valid Idaho fishing license and salmon permit in possession to fish for salmon. A salmon permit for the spring or summer season still is valid; for anglers who didn't keep theirs, replacement permits are available - $7.25 for residents and $8.25 for nonresidents. The Snake River would open to fall Chinook in four sections:

1. From the Washington-Idaho border upstream to the Blue Bridge (U.S. Highway 12 between Lewiston and Clarkston).
2. Blue Bridge upstream to the Oregon-Washington border.
3. From Oregon-Washington border upstream to the mouth of Sheep Creek.
4. Mouth of Sheep Creek upstream to Hells Canyon Dam.

Note: No fall Chinook may be harvested in the Clearwater River. The Washington-Idaho boundary is a line from a posted sign on western side of Confluence Island due south to the point off the Green Belt boat ramp. The mouth of the Clearwater River is a line from a posted sign on the north bank, south to the western-most point on the south bank. A map showing the boundaries is available on Page 70 of the 2008-2009 Fishing Seasons and Rules brochure. Please consult the brochure for additional rules, license costs and other information.