Fishing Forum

This is inspite of all the biologists that said the floods weren't having an effect on their arrival ?

f&g commission adds salmon season, adjusts limits




The Idaho Fish and Game Commission Monday, June 6, increased the bag limits on adult Chinook salmon in the Clearwater River drainage to two per day and six in possession.
The commissioners also set a limited jacks-only season on another section of the upper Salmon River.
Fish and Game fishery managers estimate the numbers of adult Chinook heading back to Idaho's Clearwater drainage to be about twice the preseason estimate, anadromous fish manager Pete Hassemer told commissioners.

The increased bag limits are effective immediately on the Clearwater River main stem, the North Fork, South Fork and Middle Fork Clearwater rivers, and the Lochsa River.
The statewide season limit remains 20 adult Chinook during any 2011 salmon seasons occurring before September 1, 2011. All other salmon fishing rules remain the same and are listed in the 2011 Chinook seasons and rules brochure.
The commission set a Chinook fishing season in the upper Salmon River reach near Stanley. The season opens July 9 and closes at the end of fishing on July 17. Fishing hours are from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. MDT.
The season is limited to two jack salmon per day and six in possession. No adult Chinook may be taken. Only Chinook less than 24 inches long, with a clipped adipose fin, as evidenced by a healed scar, may be kept.

The Stanley area reach extends from a posted boundary about 20 yards upstream of Valley Creek in Stanley, upstream to the posted boundary about 100 yards downstream of the weir at the Sawtooth Hatchery south of Stanley.
Anglers must stop fishing for Chinook salmon when they have retained their daily, possession or season limit of adult Chinook or their overall daily or possession limit of Chinook of any size, whichever comes first. All other salmon fishing rules remain in effect.

[url "http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/apps/releases/view.cfm?NewsID=5879"]http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/apps/re...fm?NewsID=5879[/url]
__________________
[signature]

Call me naive, but the most I really know about salmon I learned from the PBS documentary that aired not too long ago. If we're trying to up population, why is it that we can fish so many of them? Is it only hatchery fish that can be kept (that's my understanding)? How do you realistically keep wild salmon from being caught and killed by stress before they make it to their spawning grounds and complete that cycle?

Seems kind of crazy to me.
[signature]

You bring up a good point, but let me add some info for you. The hatcheries can only handle so many fish. Like last year the pasimeroi hatchery had about 2 or 3 times what they could even handle. Each adult female salmon spawns about 3 to 5 thousand eggs, so it doesn't take a ton of fish to keep a good hatchery population, so they increase the limits because they are just giving away half the salmon in the hatchery, they'd rather have us fisherman catch em out and have fun with that. I do agree with your point about the wild fish, it's impossible to only catch hatchery fish, but for the most part you'll only catch hatchery fish when fishing for salmon. Honestly I wish we didn't even have a need for hatcheries and we had a strong wild population, I guess I'll keep dreaming of the day we get rid of some dams.
[signature]

Yeah, I would like to have the opportunity to catch some , but if we were really serious about saving the wild fish you would think they'd stop seasons on them.

In any case, I'm not advocating that...was just something I've found strange.
[signature]

if human beings as a whole were really serious about saving salmon we would remove all 8 damn on the columbia river system. they are not going to be over fished with the hatchery's in place. they insure that a set number of eggs are fertilized and make sure they develop into fry. the fish that are caught and kept by fisherman are not included in the quota of fish the hatchery must obtain to harvest the amount of eggs they need.
[signature]

Hey Chrome Junky- did you really mean to spell it that way? Not being a spelling Nazi (I'd be the last one to do that) but I thought you might really hate those things that stop the water up in the rivers and that was a Freudian slip or something.

I have some time off coming and I'm interested in trying to partake of those salmon limits- I hope to head up north (sounds like Riggins is still a bust) but I'm wading- I gather the South Fork Clearwater is still raging too much for fishing- can the main Clearwater be effectively fished from the bank? I've sifted through a lot of threads here, but never really figured out if the guys catching fish were ever bankees, or just hopped out of boats to fish stretches that looked good?
[signature]

i didnt mean to spell it that way and i have no excuse as to why i did. on a side note all the fish i have landed have been rom the bank. but the clearwater is blown out again. the only thing fishing is the northfork.
[signature]

Chrome Junky and I got very late start last night and only saw one hooked in the North Fork.
This afternoon we were back there again due to the Clearwater being at flood stage at Orofino and looking like light chocolate milk with logs in it . We both ended up with a fish. Mine was 20lbs and about 38" and Chrome Junky's was 10 lbs. Both with a bobber/jig setup, one with scent and one w/o any.
Do not assume that we caught them where the picture was taken.
Chrome Junky has been a great help and host during my stay in Lewiston, ID

Kentd71

Chrome Junky
[signature]