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Salmon Seasons Open on Saturday: Anglers Can Fish Friday Through Monday Each Week After the Season Begins

Posted on: Friday, 19 May 2006, 12:10 CDT

By Roger Phillips, The Idaho Statesman, Boise

May 19--Coeur d'Alene -- Idaho Fish and Game commissioners Thursday unanimously approved salmon fishing season starting Saturday.

Fishing will be open on the upper Snake River, Clearwater River (including the North and South forks), lower Salmon River and Little Salmon River.

The season is scheduled to end May 20 on the Snake River, July 31 on the Clearwater rivers, June 26 on the Salmon and July 31 on the Little Salmon, but it could end sooner if conditions change.

Anglers can fish Friday through Monday each week after the season begins. They can keep one fish per day, have three in possession and harvest 10 during the season. Anglers can keep only hatchery salmon, which are identified by a missing adipose fin.

Despite a delay, salmon are now crossing the dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers at higher numbers than expected, according to F&G's anadromous fish manager Sharon Kiefer. As of Wednesday, 3,622 salmon had crossed the Lower Granite Dam, the last dam they have to cross before they get to Idaho.

Biologists are expecting about 21,900 spring chinook to return to Idaho, which is 2,900 more than the preseason estimate.

Even so, that will translate to just a few thousand fish for sport anglers. F&G expects about 4,500 hatchery fish to return to the Little Salmon River, and another 3,500 to Dworshak Hatchery on the Clearwater River.

F&G will need about 3,500 fish to replenish the two hatcheries. The surplus fish will be available to sport and tribal anglers.

Kiefer said F&G is being conservative, and if more fish return than is predicted, they have the option of either lengthening the season, allowing anglers to take more fish or both. But if fish don't materialize, they also could end the season earlier than planned.

One of the biggest challenges for anglers may be timing their fishing trips. Rivers are currently flowing high from the heat wave and an above-average snowpack.

"Actual fishing conditions would be difficult, if not dangerous," Kiefer said.

Thursday's vote only approved spring chinook fishing. The commission will meet via conference call in June to decide whether to allow fishing for summer chinook on the South Fork of the Salmon River.

Kiefer said those fish are just starting to cross Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River, which is the first dam the fish cross after leaving the ocean.

It's too early to tell how many summer chinook there will be, but Kiefer said the summer run is arriving right on time.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Idaho Statesman, Boise

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Source: The Idaho Statesman, Boise

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