IDAHO’S FALL CHINOOK SALMON SEASON UPDATE: 9/12/2025

The number of adult wild fall Chinook Salmon that can be killed during our sport fisheries (through harvest and catch-and-release fishing) is determine by the number of fish that pass over Lower Granite Dam. A sliding scale was developed in coordination with NOAA fisheries that limits harvest of wild fish on down run years and provides more harvest when the wild run is better. One of the important points on this sliding scale is 5,040 adult wild fish. When more than 5,040 adult wild fish pass over Lower Granite Dam, the sport fisheries can kill over 10% of the run. When the adult wild return is less than 5,040 fish, the sport fisheries can only kill 6% of them. In the past, when the adult wild returns over Lower Granite Dam were greater than 5,040 fish, the sport fishery did not reach its allowable wild fish impacts and no changes to the fishing seasons were required. When the return was below 5,040 fish, it was necessary to shut down harvest of adult fish with an adipose fin to protect the wild fish. If survival rates come in similar to what we are projecting, the number of wild fish that pass over Lower Granite Dam will be less than 5,040 fish, and it is highly likely that changes to the fishing regulations will occur that would prevent the harvest of adult fish with an adipose fin. Our goal will be to make this closure at a time when enough impact remains to keep a harvest fishery open for fish with a clipped adipose fin and still incorporate the catch-and-release mortality that will occur on wild fish. It's difficult to determine if/when this will occur, but if our projection is accurate, I suspect it will occur sometime in September. We will try to give you two to three days' notice if this change is necessary.

TRAPPING BROODSTOCK AT LOWER GRANITE DAM

The fall Chinook Salmon hatchery program has played a key role in why fall Chinook Salmon returns to the Snake River basin have improved dramatically since the 1980's and 1990's. Three hatcheries rear and release fall Chinook Salmon in the Snake River basin. Their overall goal in the past has been to release 5.65 million smolts into the Snake River basin with about 80% of these fish being released upstream of Lower Granite Dam. The broodstock for this program is collected at a fish trap located on Lower Granite Dam's fish ladder. These fish are trapped in a manner to help meet broodstock goals and reduce handling of wild steelhead. Marika Dobos recently wrote an article about this years trapping protocol at Lower Granite Dam and can be read be clicking on this link: https://idfg.idaho.gov/article/lower-granite-dam-counts-say-one-thing-catching-says-another-fall-chinook-report.

Fishing Boundary Waters

One popular area to fish for fall Chinook Salmon is around the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers (see map below). Where it can get complicated is for those people who have both an Idaho and Washington fishing license and fish in Washington only waters, boundary waters, and Idaho only waters. For those of you who like to do this, you should be aware of the following things. When fishing the boundary water, you can only exercise the privileges of one license at the same time. For example, if you are fishing with two rods (Idaho allows this if you have a two-pole permit, Washington does not allow this) in the boundary water, you must tag your fish on an Idaho permit. You also must follow all other Idaho regulations such as in Idaho whoever hooks the fish must tag the fish (in Washington whoever lands the fish must tag the fish). In addition, if you fish the boundary water, you are entitled to have in possession only the limit allowed by one license regardless of the number of licenses in possession.