Fall Chinook season opening September 1

BOISE — The 2016 fall Chinook forecast is 32,800 hatchery and naturally produced fall Chinook returning to the Snake River basin. Beginning Sept. 1, the Snake River will be open for fall Chinook fishing from the Washington-Idaho border upstream to Hells Canyon Dam.

Fishing on the Snake from the Idaho border upstream to Cliff Mountain Rapids, about a mile downstream of Hells Canyon Dam, will be open until Oct. 31, but it could be closed sooner, depending on the actual number of fish that return and the amount of harvest. The stretch between Hells Canyon Dam downstream to Cliff Mountain Rapids is scheduled to remain open until Nov. 17.

The Clearwater River, from its mouth upstream to Memorial Bridge in Lewiston, and the Salmon River, from its mouth upstream about three-fourths of a mile to Eye of the Needle Rapids, will be open until Oct. 31.

Anglers fishing for fall Chinook must have a valid license to fish and a salmon permit. Only adipose-clipped salmon are eligible to keep. The daily bag limit is six adult fall Chinook salmon, and the possession limit is 18. There is no season limit.

Only adult fall Chinook 24 inches and longer must be recorded on the angler’s salmon permit. There is no daily, possession or season limit on fall Chinook jacks less than 24 inches.

The 2016 fall Chinook seasons and rules pamphlets will be available soon at license vendors and Fish and Game offices. They are available now online at idfg.idaho.gov/fish/chinook/rules.