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Proposed fall seasons would provide more harvest opportunity than anglers had in the spring
The 2020 adult fall Chinook Salmon return past Lower Granite Dam is projected to be around 15,000 adults with about 5,500 of these being natural origin. These run sizes will allow a harvest of over 3,000 adult salmon, which is considerably more than was provided during our spring Chinook Salmon seasons.
Fish and Game fisheries managers are gathering public comments about fall Chinook salmon season proposals that describe how seasons and limits could be implemented in the Salmon, Snake and Clearwater rivers.
The deadline to comment is Thursday, July 16.
Anglers can view and comment on each of the proposals by visiting Fish and Game’s public comment page, or by following the respective links below.
2020 Fall Chinook Salmon Seasons Proposal – Snake and Salmon Rivers
For this upcoming week, we expect catch rates to continue to improve as more salmon move into the fishery area. PIT tag data suggests this year's run timing is later and more spread out than average. The first PIT tagged Sawtooth adult Chinook Salmon crossed Lower Granite Dam on 5/16/2020, and it wasn't until 6/18/2020 that 50 percent of the run had crossed over Lower Granite Dam.
If you still need to renew your fishing license, now is the time! Fish and Game officials are encouraging people to buy licenses, tags and permits online. People can also buy licenses and permits by phone with a credit or debit card by calling (800) 554-8685.
Licenses purchased online must be printed from the buyer's computer; they will not be mailed. You also can download the license to your smartphone. Tags and permits that need to be notched will be mailed within 7-10 business days.