IDFG tightens fall Chinook and steelhead bag limits after Sept. 17

Idaho Fish and Game’s tighter fall Chinook and steelhead bags are the live rules as of the end of fishing hours Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. Adult fall Chinook may be kept only if they are adipose-clipped. The daily limit stays three adults; possession stays three times the daily bag, with no season cap. Unclipped adults go back.

Steelhead daily limits drop to two on the Snake; the Upper, Middle, and Lower Salmon; and the Little Salmon. On the Clearwater and its open forks — North, Middle, and South — the daily limit is still two, but only one fish may be 28 inches or longer.

Anadromous Fisheries Coordinator Chris Sullivan said the Chinook change is needed because the natural-origin return is below the preseason forecast and the fishery is nearing its allowable impacts on those fish. The steelhead cuts, he said, are to limit impacts on natural-origin fish and to make sure hatchery broodstock needs are met. Confirm the live IDFG Chinook and steelhead tables before you keep a fish.

Photo: Idaho Fish and Game (steelhead in a landing net; header on the Sept. 15 bag-limit notice).

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Idaho Fish and Game — IDFG modifies fall Chinook and steelhead bag limits (Sept. 15, 2026). Related: 2026 Idaho Steelhead Update.