Salmon season a hit in Salmon

SALMON, Idaho – More than 2,000 anglers from about a dozen states tried their luck during the area’s first salmon season in 27 years.

Local business owners said they were pleased with the 30-day season, which had been announced only a day in advance.

“Any traffic helps this area,” said Gary Kimble, who owns Kimble Oil, a Challis service station on U.S. 93. “I haven’t talked to anyone who was disappointed in the season. All we’ve ever asked for is the opportunity, and we got that.”

Tom Curet, a fish biologist for Idaho Fish and Game’s Salmon region, said the agency recorded more than 2,100 anglers with license plates from 30 Idaho counties and 11 states during the season, which ended Aug. 7. It’s too early to tell how big an impact it had on the area’s economy, which has been sputtering since the logging and mining industries faded in the late 1990s.

In March and October, steelhead anglers make up at least half the guests at the Wagons West motel in Salmon, owner Clint Roszel said. “If we didn’t have the steelhead business, everyone in this town would be up the creek without a paddle by the time winter comes,” he said.

In a study released this year, economist Don Reading estimated that if historic salmon levels were restored through the river corridor, Challis could see more than $11 million in direct angler spending and the city of Salmon could see more than $15 million.

This year, only 17 miles of river was open to fishing, and there was virtually no notice prior to the opening.

“We appreciate anything, but if the whole river all the way to North Fork would have been open for salmon, you would have seen a lot more people here in town,” Roszel said. “I say let’s put the salmon back in Salmon, Idaho.”