Fall Chinook Season Opens September 1

The fall Chinook salmon harvest season on the Snake River between Lewiston and Hells Canyon Dam opens Tuesday, September 1, the same day Snake River steelhead harvest season opens. It will remain open 24 hours a day, seven days a week until October 31 or until further notice. 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. The daily limit is one adult or jack fall Chinook, and three in possession. 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 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 for $7.25 for residents and $8.25 for nonresidents. The Snake River will open to fall Chinook in four sections:

• From the Washington-Idaho border upstream to the Blue Bridge (U.S. Highway 12) between Lewiston and Clarkston.
• Blue Bridge upstream to the Oregon-Washington border.
• From Oregon-Washington border upstream to the mouth of Sheep Creek.
• 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, or the Fish and Game Web site at: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov. A printed season brochure also is available at license vendors.