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Steelhead season opens New Years Day |
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December 24, 2016 |
By Mike Demick
IDFG Conservation Information Supervisor
For some anglers, the best thing about New
Year's is the start of the spring steelhead
season, which opens January 1 on parts of the
Clearwater, Salmon, Little Salmon, Snake and
Boise rivers.
But before wetting a line, anglers will need a
2017 Idaho fishing license and steelhead permit.
River sections to open include:
* Salmon River from its mouth to the posted boundary 100 yards
downstream of the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery weir,
near the town of Stanley.
* Little Salmon River from its mouth to the U.S. Highway 95 Bridge
near Smokey Boulder Road.
Snake River from the Washington state line at
the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater
rivers upstream to Oxbow Dam.
* Clearwater River mainstem and Middle Fork Clearwater River from
its mouth to Clear Creek.
* North Fork Clearwater River from its mouth to Dworshak Dam.
* South Fork Clearwater River from its mouth to the confluence of
American and Red Rivers.
* Boise River from its mouth to the Barber Dam.
The steelhead limit is three per day, nine in
possession and 20 for the season. Once limits
are reached, the angler must stop fishing, even
catch and release. Steelhead anglers may use
only barbless hooks, and may keep only hatchery
steelhead marked with a clipped adipose fin. All
other steelhead must be released unharmed
immediately.
Steelhead are in the Boise River and the Snake
River above Hells Canyon Dam only when stocked
by Idaho Fish and Game. During November, over
300 steelhead were stocked in the Boise River. A
steelhead permit is required to fish for and
keep steelhead (rainbow trout longer than 20
inches with a clipped adipose fin). Barbless
hooks are not required on the Boise River.
Consult Idaho’s 2016-2018 Fishing Seasons and
Rules brochure for exceptions and special
restrictions. For additional information on
steelhead fishing including the latest catch
rates, dam counts, and useful instructional
videos, go to
https://idfg.idaho.gov/fish/steelhead. |
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