Idaho’s Fall Steelhead Harvest Season Opens on Clearwater
Idaho Department of Fish and Game 10.09.12
The fall steelhead harvest season opens in the Clearwater River drainage on Monday, October 15.
The seasons opens on the main stem of the Clearwater River above the Memorial Bridge, the South Fork Clearwater River, the North Fork Clearwater River below Dworshak Dam, and the Middle Fork Clearwater River below Clear Creek.
The steelhead harvest season on the lower Clearwater River opened August 1, on a two-mile stretch of the lower Clearwater River from its mouth to the U.S. Highway 12 Memorial Bridge near Lewiston.
The limits on these waters are two per day and six in possession.
The harvest season already is open on the Snake, Salmon and Little Salmon rivers. The limits on these waters are three per day and nine in possession.
Anglers may keep 20 steelhead for the fall season, which ends December 31.
Only steelhead with a clipped adipose fin, evidenced by a healed scar, may be kept. Any steelhead that has an unclipped adipose fin must be released unharmed.
New rules that took effect last year allow anglers to transport anadromous salmon and steelhead without the head and tail attached – but only under a number of conditions:
- The fish must be recorded on the angler’s salmon or steelhead permit.
- The processed fish must have the skin attached, including the portion with a healed, clipped adipose fin scar.
- It must be packaged in a way that the number of harvested fish can be determined.
- The fish must be processed ashore when the angler is done fishing for the day.
- No processed salmon or steelhead may be transported by boat.
- No jack salmon may be processed in the field.
- Processed salmon or steelhead count toward an angler’s possession limit while in the field or in transit.
For additional information, please consult the 2012 fishing rules and seasons brochure, available at all license vendors, Fish and Game offices and online at: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/fish/rules/steelhead.pdf.
To learn more about steelhead fishing in Idaho, check out Fish and Game’s “How to fish for steelhead” videos at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/fish/?getPage=38.
