Lower Salmon River Closes Sunday to Chinook Fishing

Contact: Sharon Kiefer, 334-3791 Fishing for chinook salmon on the Lower Salmon River closes Sunday, June 16 one hour after sunset. The season there opened April 25 and will end as scheduled in the salmon fishing rules pamphlet. The boundaries for the Lower Salmon River spring chinook fishery extends from the Hammer Creek boat ramp upstream to a posted line at the mouth of the Little Salmon River at Riggins. Through June 7, anglers had harvested 507 hatchery chinook salmon, identified by an adipose fin-clip. Although about 24,000 Rapid River hatchery fish have crossed Lower Granite Dam, fishing has been hampered by late runoff, which resulted in high flows. However, flows have receded, and fishing in the last few days of the season should be good. Although anglers had hoped for an extension of the fishery because of the low catch, that did not happen because the composition of the salmon population moving through the lower Salmon River area is changing. Rapid River Hatchery fish are moving through and entering the Little Salmon River, and populations of fish which are listed under the Endangered Species Act are arriving in the main Salmon River on their way upstream. The fishery on the mainstem Salmon River is known as a "mixed stock" fishery and is timed to take advantage of earlier arriving Rapid River fish. "The majority of the Rapid River Hatchery fish had crossed Lower Granite Dam by May 24," said Sharon Kiefer, Anadromous Fishery Manager. "We are seeing increasing passage at Lower Granite Dam of listed wild stocks and listed hatchery stocks bound for tributaries in the upper Salmon River. By June 11, a majority of the wild Salmon River spring chinook stocks had passed Lower Granite Dam, and would be entering the fishery area if we extended the season. We are also seeing increasing numbers of hatchery summer chinook bound for the South Fork of the Salmon River, which are indistinguishable from the targeted Rapid River Hatchery spring chinook. I recognize anglers are frustrated because fish are present and fishing conditions are improving. However, there is concern about the composition in the main Salmon River shifting away from the target population of Rapid River spring chinook, which is why we are not recommending a season extension this year." Chinook fishing is still open on other Idaho rivers and the season for summer chinook on the South Fork of the Salmon River opens June 19. Brochures on times, fees and rules are available at license vendors as well as Fish and Game offices.