Fishing Seasons
Idaho’s Chinook salmon are loosely separated into three groups - Spring, Summer and Fall. Salmon coming back to Idaho to spawn are both wild and hatchery fish.

Anglers usually can start fishing for hatchery Chinook in April as they return to the Clearwater, Snake and Salmon Rivers. The wild fish listed under the Endangered Species Act and must be left in the rivers.

The timing and length of Idaho’s salmon fishing seasons depends on the number of fish returning to Idaho in any given year.

• Species Profile
• Seasons and Rules
• Harvest Report
• Count Over Bonneville/Lower Granite Dams
• Hatchery Returns

Angling Techniques
Regulations require the use of rod and reel when fishing for chinook. In streams, chinook strike bright lures or fresh roe. In lakes, the land-locked Chinook are caught by trolling flashy lures and/or large flies on down riggers, or by jigging large lures near the bottom.