Spring Chinook salmon fishing seasons open April 25 on the Clearwater, the lower Salmon, Little Salmon and the Snake Rivers.
The season opens May 23 on the Lochsa River, and a season opens June 20 on the Salmon River from Shorts' Creek upstream about 25 miles to the boat ramp at Vinegar Creek.
The forecast is for about 105,600 hatchery fish and almost 23,000 wild Chinook returning to Idaho. That translates into estimates of 13,341 fish available for nontribal anglers in the Clearwater River, 9,700 in the lower Salmon and Little Salmon, and 1,365 in the Snake River.
But the fish may be a little late with the cool spring. So far about 1,000 adult Chinook have crossed Bonneville Dam.
The daily limit is four Chinook salmon, no more than two may be 24 inches or more in total length. Anglers must stop fishing for salmon - including catch-and-release - when four salmon or two adult salmon of 24 inches or more have been caught, whichever comes first. The possession limit is 12 fish, and not more than six may be 24 inches or more. The statewide limit is 40 adult Chinook during 2009.
Only Chinook with a clipped adipose fin - the small fin between the dorsal fin and tail - as evidenced by a healed scar, may be kept.
Anglers may use only barbless hooks no more than five-eighths of inch from point to shank. In the Lochsa, only artificial flies and lures - no bait - with one barbless hook per fly or lure may be used. A single hook may have up to three points.
Fishing hours will be presented in the rule brochure in a table, based on a half hour before sunrise until a half hour after sunset for a series of locations.
A new rule prohibits fishing from any watercraft within 30 yards of the west shoreline of the Salmon River from the Riggins City Park boat ramp upstream to a posted boundary about 200 yards upstream of the mouth of the Little Salmon River, and the lower 200 yards of the Little Salmon.
The change is aimed at reducing conflicts between boat and bank anglers. Though fishing from a boat has been restricted near Riggins, additional fishing will open June 20 on 25 miles of the Salmon River just upstream from Riggins this year.
Please refer to the 2009 Idaho Fish and Game spring Chinook season and rule brochure for details. The brochure will be available to the public before the season opens.
Waters that open April 25 are:
Clearwater River, mainstem:
- Lower - from the Camas Prairie Railroad Bridge at Lewiston upstream to the Cherrylane Bridge.
- Middle - from the Cherrylane Bridge upstream to the Orofino Bridge.
- Upper - from the Orofino Bridge upstream to the South Fork Clearwater River.
North Fork Clearwater: From the mouth to the Dworshak Dam.
South Fork Clearwater: From its mouth to the confluence of the American and Red rivers.
Middle Fork Clearwater: From its confluence with the South Fork upstream to the confluence of the Lochsa and Selway rivers.
Lower Salmon River:
- Hammer Creek - From a posted boundary about 200 years downstream from the Hammer Creek boat ramp upstream to the U.S. Highway 95 Time Zone Bridge.
- Park Hole - From the Time Zone Bridge upstream to a posted boundary at the mouth of Short's Creek, about 1.4 miles upstream of the mouth of the Little Salmon River.
Little Salmon:
- Lower - from the mouth to a posted boundary about 200 yards upstream of the mouth of the Rapid River.
- Upper - from the posted boundary about 200 yards upstream of the Rapid River upstream to the U.S. Highway 95 Bridge near Smoky Boulder Road.
Snake River: From the Dug Bar boat ramp upstream to Hells Canyon Dam.
All these waters will remain open until further notice.
