Most of them are headed for the Snake River above the mouth of the Clearwater River, and Idaho Fish and Game has proposed a fall Chinook harvest season on the Snake River between Lewiston and Hells Canyon Dam.

If approved by the Idaho Fish and Game Commission during its August 17 meeting, the fall Chinook season would open Tuesday, September 1 – the same day as the Snake River steelhead harvest season opens. It would remain open 24 hours a day, seven days a week until October 31 or until further notice.

The daily limit would be one adult or jack fall Chinook, and three in possession; only fish with a clipped adipose fin, evidenced by a healed scar, may be kept. Anglers may keep 40 salmon for the year, including spring, summer and fall Chinook.

All salmon and steelhead with an intact adipose fin must be immediately released unharmed back to the water.

Fishing rules are the same as those for steelhead. Anglers may use only barbless hooks no larger than five-eighths inch from the point to the shank. When the daily, possession or season limit is reached, the angler must stop fishing for salmon, including catch-and-release. It is unlawful to take or fish for salmon and steelhead by snagging. Salmon and steelhead caught in a legal manner must be either released or killed immediately after landing.

Anglers must have a valid Idaho fishing license and salmon permit in possession to fish for salmon. A salmon permit for the spring or summer season still is valid; for anglers who didn’t keep theirs, replacement permits are available – $7.25 for residents and $8.25 for nonresidents.

The Snake River would open to fall Chinook in four sections:

· From the Washington-Idaho border upstream to the Blue Bridge (U.S. Highway 12 between Lewiston and Clarkston).

· Blue Bridge upstream to the Oregon-Washington border.

· From Oregon-Washington border upstream to the mouth of Sheep Creek.

· Mouth of Sheep Creek upstream to Hells Canyon Dam.

Note: No fall Chinook may be harvested in the Clearwater River.

The Washington-Idaho boundary is a line from a posted sign on western side of Confluence Island due south to the point off the Green Belt boat ramp. The mouth of the Clearwater River is a line from a posted sign on the north bank, south to the western-most point on the south bank. A map showing the boundaries is available on Page 70 of the 2008-2009 Fishing Seasons and Rules brochure.

Please consult the brochure for additional rules, license costs and other information.

Steelhead Season Opens

The Idaho fall steelhead fishing season has started on the Clearwater River and opens September 1 on most other steelhead waters.

The fall steelhead season runs through December 31.

The fall steelhead catch-and-release season opened July 1 on the Clearwater River. The fall harvest season opened August 1 on the lower Clearwater River from the mouth upstream to the U.S. Highway 12 Memorial Bridge. But anglers may not keep any steelhead upstream from the U.S. Highway 12 Memorial Bridge until October 15.

The fall season opens September 1 on the Salmon River, the Little Salmon River, and the Snake River downstream from Hells Canyon Dam.

All anglers fishing for steelhead, even catch-and-release, must have a valid 2009 fishing license and steelhead permit. Statewide limits for steelhead are three per day, nine in possession, and 20 for the season, except for the Clearwater River system where the limits are two fish per day, six in possession, and 20 for the season.

Steelhead anglers must stop fishing – even catch-and-release – when the possession limit is reached. Anglers must use barbless hooks, and can keep only hatchery steelhead marked with a clipped adipose fin. All other steelhead must be released unharmed immediately.

Waters that open for steelhead harvest:

· Clearwater River: From the mouth upstream to the U.S. Highway 12 Memorial Bridge.

Waters that open for steelhead harvest September 1 are:

· Salmon River from its mouth upstream to the posted boundary 100 yards downstream from the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery weir, near the town of Stanley.

· Little Salmon River from its mouth upstream to the U.S. Highway 95 bridge near Smokey Boulder Road.

· Snake River from the Washington state line at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers upstream to Hells Canyon Dam.

Waters that open for steelhead harvest October 15

· Clearwater River: Mainstem and Middle Fork Clearwater River from the Highway 12 Bridge upstream to Clear Creek.

· North Fork Clearwater River from its mouth upstream to Dworshak Dam.

· South Fork Clearwater River from its mouth upstream to the confluence of American and Red Rivers.

Boundary Waters on the Snake River between Idaho and Oregon or Washington: An angler with a valid 2009 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.

Consult 2008-2009 fishing rules brochure for exceptions and special restrictions. For more information on steelhead fishing in Idaho, check the Fish and Game Website http://fishandgame.idaho.gov.

News Source: Idaho F&G - Aug. 11, 2009