South Fork Salmon River to Close Wednesday

Part of the South Fork Salmon River Chinook fishery will close Wednesday, July 20. The lower South Fork Salmon River will close to salmon fishing effective the end of fishing Wednesday. Anglers harvested about 700 adult salmon from the nontribal adult harvest share of 1,100 fish destined for the South Fork Salmon River and the lower Salmon River through July 17. Managers anticipate that by close of fishing on July 20 anglers will have caught the 400 adult salmon remaining in the harvest share. The upper South Fork Salmon River will remain open but will close to harvest of adult Chinook salmon 24 or more inches long. The fishery in the upper section from the posted boundary about one mile upstream of Fourmile Campground upstream to the posted boundary near the hatchery fish weir will remain open to the retention of jack salmon only. Natural origin salmon destined for spawning areas in the mainstem portion of the South Fork Salmon River must all transit the lower section of the fishery, but fewer than half enter the upper section. Constraining the fishery to the upper section provides anglers access to the adipose fin-clipped jack salmon available for harvest but reduces the number of incidental fishery related mortalities among natural origin fish. The daily limit in the upper section will be six salmon less than 24 inches in total length, and the possession will be 18 salmon less than 24 inches. No adult salmon may be kept. The statewide season limit is 20 adult Chinook during salmon seasons occurring before September 1, 2011. The statewide limit for adult Chinook is 40 for the calendar year. Anglers should consult 2011 Chinook salmon rules 1 in season brochures and on the Fish and Game website at: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/fish/rules/chinook_seasons/. For an interactive map of river segments open to Chinook fishing go to the Web site page at: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/ifwis/fishingplanner/chinook/.