Idaho Fish and Game Commission on June 6 set the Chinook fishing seasons on the South Fork of the Salmon, Upper Salmon and Lochsa rivers to open June 23.
Upper Salmon River, South Fork of the Salmon River and Lochsa River seasons and rules include:
- Opening date June 23, closing date as ordered by Director of Fish and Game.
- Fishing open seven days per week.
- Bag limits for South Fork of Salmon and Upper Salmon, four per day, of which only two may be adults, and 12 in possession of which six may be adults.
- Bag limits for Lochsa River, four per day, of which only one may be an adult, and 12 in possession of which only three may be adults.
- Anglers may retain Chinook salmon with an intact adipose fin from the Lochsa River.
Fisheries managers are watching returning Chinook cross Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River and find that unlike the spring fish that returned late, the summer run appears to running on time.
Managers are anticipating about 2,000 adult Chinook will return to the South Fork of the Salmon River, which would provide a sport-fishing harvest share of about 650 fish.
They expect another 2,000 will return ot the Upper Salmon River, and sport harvest share will be about 550, which is less than the South Fork due to more brood stock needed to replenish hatcheries in the Upper Salmon.
The Lochsa River run is predicted to be 610 fish, which would leave about 100 fish for the sport harvest share.
Fish are crossing dams now and are likely to be in the river stretches where fishing occurs when the season opens, according to Fish and Game's Anadromous Fish Manager Lance Hebdon.
Rivers are also dropping and fishing conditions could be prime, so anglers should be ready to fish when the season opens because the harvest share could quickly be caught.