June 30, 2026 South Fork Salmon River Chinook Update

Where Are the Fish?

One of the questions I hear most often is, "Have the fish made it into the South Fork yet?"

The answer is yes-but there are still plenty on the way.

Approximately 1,331 adipose-clipped adults have already passed the PIT tag antenna at the South Fork Guard Station, meaning roughly 330 additional adults are still making their way up the main Salmon River and should begin arriving in the fishery soon.

Farther upstream, approximately 1,073 adults have already passed the Krassel antenna and entered the primary fishing area.

After accounting for fish harvested in both tribal and non-tribal fisheries, along with broodstock collected at the weir, we estimate that around 600 adipose-clipped adults are currently swimming within the fishery boundaries.

In addition, roughly 600 unclipped (adipose-intact) adults have also entered the fishery.

There are a growing number of fish in the river every day.

Harvest Share Update

Based on the latest run projection, our estimated harvest share has increased again and now stands at 537 adipose-clipped adults.