Salmon Arriving On Normal Schedule

Last spring heralded a record run of hatchery Chinook salmon returning to Idaho, and they came early. That is not happening this year. "We likely will have the second largest run of salmon to Idaho in the last 24 years, but no where nearly as large as 2001. A few of the fastest salmon have arrived already, but the peak of the run likely won't occur for a few more weeks,"according to Fish and Game anadromous coordinator, Bill Horton. "This year is shaping up to be a more normal year for stream flow and the timing of migrating salmon. In seven of the last 10 years we had fewer than 1,000 come over the last dam by the end of April. Last year was very different because we had a very large run, and nearly 90,000 salmon had come back by that time. We anticipate that this year the peak of the run may be in late May and early June." At Lower Granite Dam, which is the last of the eight dams these fish cross before entering Idaho, counters have seen some days with no fish swimming through the fish ladders, while 853 came over one day last week.The latest projection calls for more than 50,000 chinook to come across Lower Granite Dam and come into Idaho and eastern Oregon and Washington. "Last year was unique based on a couple different factors. They came back last year when we had very low water flow going out. That allowed them to come back early, because they didn't have to swim against so much current. It was also the largest hatchery salmon run ever recorded. That combination produced great fishing for Idaho's anglers. This year has been a normal year, so far. We had a near normal snowpack in much of the state and it appears to be melting at an average rate. We still have good snowpack in some of the mountains and we expect normal spring flows to occur, unless we get a very hot spell. That means the fish have more current to swim against when they are coming upstream, and that just slows their migration as compared to last year's." This year, a new section of the Lower Snake River is open to fishing for the first time since 1977.The fishery runs from Lewiston to Heller Bar, which is near where the Grande Ronde River flows into the Snake River, about 23 miles upstream from Lewiston. That area opened April 25 and has a four-day season each week, open Thursday through Sunday. It closes May 19. There's a one-fish limit, three in possession and 20 for the season. In the Clearwater and Salmon Rivers, the limit is two per day, six in possession, and 20 for the season.