June 23, 2026 South Fork Salmon River Chinook Update

South Fork Chinook Update: Better Fishing Ahead?

Hi everyone,

The South Fork Salmon River Chinook fishery opened last Thursday, June 18, and while fishing was a bit slower than I expected during the first four-day interval, there is still plenty of reason for optimism - its only going to get better from here.

Based on creel survey data collected through Sunday, we estimate anglers harvested 80 adipose-clipped adults during the opening interval. Given the tremendous amount of effort we observed, I honestly expected that number to be higher.

Catch rates averaged approximately 31 hours per fish caught and 48 hours per fish harvested, which means many anglers spent a lot of time on the water without much action.

So, if you fished the South Fork this weekend and didn't catch a fish, you're definitely not alone.

Why Was Fishing Slower Than Expected?

The good news is that the run is still building.

As of June 23, we estimate 2,568 adipose-clipped adults destined for the South Fork Salmon River have crossed Bonneville Dam, and 1,655 of those fish have crossed Lower Granite Dam.

Our latest estimates suggest that roughly 1,000 adults are currently in the South Fork Salmon River drainage.

In other words, less than half of the run has arrived in the fishery so far.

That's an important point.

Many anglers understandably expected large numbers of fish to already be available when the season opened. I did too. But the majority of the run is still making its way upstream. As more fish arrive and distribute throughout the river, I expect catch rates to improve substantially.

Harvest Share Update

Our current projected harvest share is sitting around 480 adipose-clipped adults.

With only 80 adults harvested during the opening interval, we still have roughly 400 fish remaining in the harvest share.

As a result, the fishery will remain open Thursday through Sunday for at least one more four-day interval.

Looking a little farther ahead, I'm not making any promises, but there is now a realistic possibility that anglers could still be fishing the South Fork during the Independence Day holiday weekend this year.

We'll know a lot more after this upcoming interval, so stay tuned for next week's update.

Fish Continue to Arrive

McCall Hatchery staff report that approximately 180 Chinook salmon have already been trapped at the South Fork weir, confirming that fish are steadily moving through the system.

Staff will also begin recycling jacks into the fishery this weekend while the fishery is open, providing anglers with additional opportunities.

Looking Ahead

The opening weekend wasn't quite what many of us hoped for, but I think the outlook remains positive.

More fish are arriving every day, harvest share estimates continue to improve, and the fishery appears likely to remain open longer than many of us expected just a couple of weeks ago.

It looks like we're going to have some weather during this next fishing interval: with rain on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Don't let that keep you from getting out there though. If you've been waiting to make a trip to the South Fork, this upcoming interval may be a very good time to go.

Good luck, and I'll have another update for you next week.