I hear that I don't always have to fish for salmon and steelhead with a barbless hook. What's that about?

It is true but there is really only one exception to the barbless hook rule and that is for the Boise River where steelhead and salmon are trucked in when runs are high enough to provide surplus hatchery fish. Barbs are allowed on the Boise because there are no wild steelhead or salmon in the river. Barbless hooks make releasing fish faster and easier for the angler, which means a quicker and safer return to the water for wild fish. Wild steelhead and salmon must be released unharmed.