Idaho steelhead fishing continues, with exception of two area closures

A last-minute deal forged between environmentalists, a steelhead angling advocacy group and Idaho Fish and Game commissioners will allow fishers to continue to chase steelhead in much of Idaho.

The agreement struck late Friday will keep most steelhead seasons open, but steelhead fishing in two areas, including part of the Salmon River’s main fork, and the North Fork of the Clearwater River, will remain closed.

Anglers can keep one steelhead per day through the 2019 spring season in areas open to fishing, according to Idaho Fish and Game.

“I’m glad our anglers and outfitters can continue steelhead fishing,” Fish and Game Director Virgil Moore said.

The agreement for continued steelhead fishing was hammered out between Fish and Game, the angler-based Idaho River Community Alliance, Inc. and a collective of five environmental organizations that threatened to sue Idaho over an expired federal steelhead fishing permit. The state’s federal steelhead permit, administered through National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that allows a small number of wild and protected steelhead — under the Endangered Species Act — to be harmed during regular game fishing expired in 2010. A new permit had been submitted by Fish and Game, but NOAA officials had not reviewed it, leaving an opening for environmentalists to sue the state.

The permit affected fishing in the Snake, Salmon and Clearwater river systems, where the environemtal groups said fishing needed to be curtailed or rules changed because of a low return of wild steelhead this fall.

Moore said his agency will ensure it receives the permit from here forward.

“It’s unfortunate that a delay in receiving federal authorization for our recreational steelhead fisheries created contention and hardship for river communities and anglers” Moore said. “This resolution achieves the commission’s objective to limit impacts to steelhead fishing as much as possible while we remain focused on finally receiving federal approval of our steelhead fishery plan for the long term.”

Under the terms of the latest agreement, the groups including the Conservation Angler, Wild Fish Conservancy, Wild Salmon Rivers, Friends of the Clearwater and Snake River Waterkeeper will drop the suit and the state will leave open most steelhead areas with the exception of the South Fork of the Clearwater River upstream of the Highway 14 Mount Idaho Bridge, and the Salmon River from Warren Creek to the Copper Mine Boat Ramp upstream of Riggins. Those stretches are usually heavily populated with wild steelhead.

Closing the Snake, Salmon and Clearwater river systems to steelhead fishing would have inflicted financial hardships on Idaho’s river communities whose business depends largely on fisheries.

Idaho River United, one of the environmental groups initially involved in the lawsuit, backed away from the suit and helped forge the agreement among the various groups, according to Fish and Game.