Clearwater spring chinook season opening with larger bag limits
Idaho’s spring chinook season opens April 25 with a more aggressive bag limit for most of the Clearwater River system and more flexibility for fish managers to adjust the season on the fly.
The Idaho Fish and Game Commission approved season parameters last week proposed by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game that are designed to get the state closer to catching its share of the run, something that hasn’t happened in recent years.
The Clearwater River, its Middle and South forks, the Lochsa River and the Snake River in upper Hells Canyon will have a daily bag limit of four hatchery chinook per day with a maximum of two adult fish.
The North Fork of the Clearwater, lower Salmon River and Little Salmon River will have a four-fish bag limit with a maximum of one adult fish.
Fishing on the Clearwater system, the lower Salmon and Little Salmon will be open Thursdays through Sundays. The Snake River, from Dug Bar to Hells Canyon Dam, will be open seven days per week.
Last year, the state had a harvest share of 5,142 fish on the Clearwater River but a bag limit that included only one adult fish per day. Anglers caught and kept only 3,827, about 74% of the harvest share. Over the previous five years, the state has fallen short of the harvest share by an average of about 20%.
New this year, Idaho Fish and Game Director Jim Fredericks will have the authority to increase bag limits and the number of days per week that fishing is allowed if the run turns out to be significantly stronger than predicted.
For example, if the projected harvest share for the Clearwater River exceeds 6,000, the director could opt to allow fishing seven days per week.
“We are trying to be a little more responsive and be able to adjust a little more quickly when we have solid evidence we have more fish coming back than anticipated,” said Roger Phillips, spokesperson for the department at Boise.
Toby Wyatt, owner of Reel Time Fishing based in Clarkston, said he likes the new approach but said even with the higher bag limit, the state may still fall short of its share without allowing fishing on more than just four days per week.
“I think they are on the right track. I voted for the two-fish limits. It’s easier to book trips. I like the way they are going.”
But he thinks harvest won’t change dramatically. His prediction is based on the assumption that river flows will be below average because of the low mountain snowpack in the Clearwater Basin.
In low water, the fish are less predictable, making them hard to catch.
“The fish don’t really run on the bottom when the water is not swift,” Wyatt said. “We have a hard enough time trying to get a one-fish limit. In a day of guiding you might see us harvest one or two more fish than we would normally harvest.”