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Chinook Season is Open by Staff Idaho County Free Press, May 1, 2019

Chinook fishing season opened on April 27, with a two-day-a-week season on the Clearwater River and a four-day-a-week season on the Salmon and Little Salmon rivers. The season will run until sport anglers' shares of the harvest are met (which varies by river) or Aug. 11 -- whichever comes first.

Due to very low projected returns the Upper Snake River in Hells Canyon, fisheries managers did not propose to open a spring chinook season for the fishery this year.

Anglers should refer to the 2019 spring chinook salmon seasons and rules brochure for other rules and special restrictions, which is available online and in paper form at Fish and Game regional offices.

Through April 29, about 3,300 chinook had crossed Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River and eight had crossed Lower Granite Dam about 25 miles downstream from Lewiston. Current salmon counts at the dams can be found online here.

Fisheries managers are forecasting a run of about 32,000 spring chinook through Lower Granite Dam, which is about 25 miles downstream from Lewiston and the last of the eight dams that returning salmon cross. The forecast is similar to last year's actual return of 39,000, and below the 10-year average return of 75,000.