Fall Chinook Harvest Season Set

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission during a meeting in Kellogg Thursday, July 8, adopted a recommended harvest season on fall Chinook salmon to open September 1. The season will continue seven days a week until further notice or October 31, whichever comes first. Fishery managers predict 23,075 adult hatchery origin Chinook salmon will cross Lower Granite Dam, the last of four federal dams on the lower Snake River 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. The daily limit would be two fall Chinook, only one of which may be an adult; the possession limit is six of which three may be adults. Anglers may keep only fish with a clipped adipose fin, evidenced by a healed scar, and they may keep 40 salmon for the year, including spring, summer and fall Chinook. All salmon with an intact adipose fin must be released. 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 by snagging. Salmon 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 from the spring or summer season still is valid; for anglers who didn't keep theirs, replacement permits are available for $7.25. A permit costs $12.75. The Snake River is open from the Washington-Idaho border to Hells Canyon Dam. No fall Chinook may be taken 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. The Snake River fishery is open in four sections:

• From the Washington-Idaho border to Bridge Street.
• From Bridge Street to the Oregon-Washington border.
• From the Oregon-Washington border to the mouth of Sheep Creek.
• From the mouth of Sheep Creek to Hells Canyon Dam.

A map showing the boundaries is available in the 2010 Fishing Seasons and Rules brochure.