Steelhead Harvest Season Open on the Clearwater

Steelhead harvest fishing season opened Monday, October 15, on the Clearwater River upstream of the Memorial Bridge on U.S. Highway 12 near Lewiston. The steelhead harvest season already is open on the Clearwater River downstream of the Memorial Bridge, and on the Salmon, the Little Salmon and the lower Snake rivers. The limit on the Clearwater River and the North Fork, Middle Fork and South Fork Clearwater rivers is two fish per day and six in possession. The steelhead limit on the Snake, Salmon and Little Salmon is three per day and nine in possession. Anglers may keep 20 steelhead for the season. Once limits are reached, the angler must stop fishing, even catch-and-release. Anglers must have a valid Idaho fishing license and steelhead permit. Steelhead anglers may use only barbless hooks, and may keep only hatchery steelhead marked with a clipped adipose fin. All other steelhead must be released unharmed immediately. In the boundary waters on the Snake River between Idaho and Oregon or Washington, an angler with a valid 2012 Idaho fishing license and steelhead permit may fish where the river forms the boundary between Idaho and Oregon or Washington, but may not fish from the shoreline, including wading, and may not fish in sloughs or tributaries on the Oregon or Washington side. An angler may have only the limit allowed by one license regardless of the number of licenses the angler holds. See the 2011-2012 Idaho Fishing Seasons and Rules brochure for more information on steelhead fishing or check the Fish and Game website at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/fish/?getPage=38. In addition to steelhead, until October 31, anglers in the Snake River and the lower Clearwater River down stream of the Memorial Bridge near Lewiston, who have a valid salmon permit may harvest six adult fall Chinook salmon per day, and with a possession limit of 18 adults. There are no limits on jacks. There is no season limit on adult Chinook caught after September 1. Anglers should check the 2012 Fall Chinook Seasons and Rules pamphlet for details. It is available at all license vendors, Fish and Game offices and online at: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/fish/?getPage=110.