Idaho Approves 2026 Summer Chinook Seasons for the Salmon and Lochsa Rivers

Idaho salmon fishermen have new summer Chinook opportunity on the books, and the details are worth reading before anyone heads for the river.

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission approved 2026 summer Chinook seasons for the South Fork Salmon River, Upper Salmon River, and Lochsa River. The South Fork and Upper Salmon seasons are set to open June 18, while the Lochsa River season opened May 30. Areas can close by order of the Idaho Fish and Game Director or on August 10, whichever comes first.

The rules are not the same everywhere. On the Upper Salmon, fishing will be open seven days a week from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mountain time, with a daily limit of four Chinook, only two of which may be adults. Possession is twelve Chinook, only six adults. On the South Fork Salmon, fishing will be open Thursday through Sunday from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mountain time, with a daily limit of four Chinook, only one adult, and possession of twelve Chinook, only three adults. On the Lochsa, fishing is open seven days a week from 4:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Pacific time, with a daily limit of four Chinook, only two adults, and possession of twelve Chinook, only six adults. Idaho says both adipose-clipped and unclipped adults and jacks may be harvested in the Lochsa.

That is a lot of detail, but salmon fishermen know why it matters. These fisheries are built around run strength, hatchery needs, wild fish protection, harvest sharing, river sections, and in-season control. A salmon season can open with opportunity and still close fast if the numbers change or managers need to protect the run.

This is the kind of regulated harvest that gets misunderstood by people who only see a grip-and-grin photo. They do not see the counting, the hatchery traps, the clipped-fin rules, the daily limits, the possession limits, the time restrictions, the closure orders, or the years of work behind putting a salmon season together. They just see a dead fish and react.

Fishermen should not apologize for legal harvest. A Chinook brought home under a lawful season is food, tradition, and part of a managed system. But we also have a responsibility to know the rules cold. If a river section closes, it closes. If the adult limit is one, it is one. If a fish has to be identified correctly, that is on the angler.

Salmon are too important for sloppy management or sloppy fishing. Read the Idaho Fish and Game Chinook regulations before you go, keep an eye on closure orders, and enjoy the opportunity the right way while it is there.