Upper Salmon River Chinook Fishery Sees Strong Start

The Upper Salmon River Chinook fishery has opened, and early indicators point to a strong start for anglers in Idaho. Field reports from Greg Schoby of Idaho Fish and Game say fishers logged 1,343 hours of effort in the first four days, taking 15 hatchery adult Chinook and releasing four wild Chinook. The Sawtooth Hatchery trap received 363 adult hatchery fish. Passage at Bonneville Dam is slightly above 2,000 hatchery adults, while survival between dams has improved, with 1,342 fish clearing Lower Granite Dam for a 75% survival conversion rate. Who controls the fishery, in large part, is guided by tracking; Elevenmile monitoring shows a new upstream wave, and Schoby expects the season’s best fishing in the next week or two. Competitive context includes other local trapping updates, such as 204 hatchery adults at current harvest share and 106 trapped at Pahsimeroi.