Salmon Seasons to Open on Upper Salmon and South Fork

Chinook salmon seasons open Saturday, June 12, on the South Fork Salmon River and on parts of the Upper Salmon River; a short season will open over the Fourth of July weekend in the Stanley area. The South Fork Salmon River will be open from 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. starting Saturday until further notice. The lower South Fork Salmon River will be open from the U.S. Forest Service bridge on Forest Service Road 48 - East Fork South Fork Road-Lick Creek Road - that crosses just upstream from the confluence with the East Fork South Fork Salmon River - upstream about 16 miles to a posted boundary about one mile upstream from Fourmile Campground. (About two miles downstream from Poverty Flat Campground). The upper South Fork Salmon River will be open from a posted boundary about one mile from Fourmile Campground, upstream about 17 miles to a posted boundary about 100 yards downstream from the Idaho Fish and Game South Fork Salmon River weir and trap. Limits are five Chinook per day, only three of which may be adults; the possession limit is 15 in possession, only nine of which may be adults. Adult Chinook salmon are 24 inches or more long, jacks are less than 24 inches in length. The Upper Salmon in the river section referred to as the Ellis Area will be open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. MST starting June 12 until further notice. The Ellis area is open from the cable car crossing at the USGS flow gauging station, about 150 yards downstream of Island Park in Salmon, upstream to the posted boundary about 20 yards above the mouth of the Pahsimeroi River in Ellis. The daily limit is five Chinook salmon, only three of which may be adults; the possession limit is 15 Chinook, only nine of which may be adults. The upper Salmon near Stanley will open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. only on July 3, 4 and 5. It will be open from the posted boundary about 20 yards upstream of Valley Creek in Stanley, upstream to the posted boundary 100 yards downstream of the weir at Sawtooth Hatchery. The season is short in this reach because of the small number of harvestable fish returning to the upper Salmon River. The daily limit is three Chinook, only one of which may be an adult, and the possession limit is nine Chinook, only three of which may be adults. Other Chinook salmon stocks are returning to Idaho hatcheries in significant numbers. In typical years, more than 1 million smolts are released from Sawtooth Hatchery. This year's fishery is mainly supported by four-year-old fish returning from the 2008 release when only 174,000 smolts were released. To get the most out of the fish returning to the hatchery, none were marked for harvest. Therefore, this upper river fishery will be supported exclusively by a few five-year-old fish and jacks. The statewide limit for adult Chinook is 40 for the season.