Idaho Fish and Game talks steelhead, licenses, tags

Steelhead are similar to rainbow trout except that they migrate to the ocean and return to fresh water to spawn. Anglers can fish for steelhead somewhere in Idaho from July 1 to May 31. There are no harvest seasons for wild steelhead. If you want to keep your catch, make sure it has no adipose fin. That means it came from one of Idaho’s anadromous fish hatcheries.

Idaho’s steelhead and salmon hatcheries were built to mitigate for the loss of these fish when hydropower dams were built on the Snake River, as well as Dworshak Dam on the Clearwater, making the 500- to 900-mile journey to and from the ocean more difficult. Today only about 25 percent of the fish that return to the Snake River system are of wild origin.

More than 50 percent of all Columbia River basin steelhead come from Idaho, either spawning in the wild or raised in hatcheries.

In Idaho, 14 salmon and steelhead hatcheries, built as mitigation for losses from hydropower projects in the Snake River drainage, produce about 11 million Chinook salmon, 7.5 million steelhead and 200,000 sockeye salmon for release annually.

Rapid River Hatchery opened in 1964, Niagara Springs in 1966 and Pahsimeroi in 1967. They were built to mitigate for Idaho Power Company’s complex of three dams in Hells Canyon of the Snake River. In September 2013, the Springfield Fish Hatchery was completed near American Falls Reservoir.

Idaho’s A-run steelhead are usually found in the Snake and Salmon rivers. They return from the ocean early in the year – usually June through August – and they most often return after spending one year in the ocean. Because of their early return and short stay in the ocean they usually weigh 4 to 6 pounds and are generally 23 to 26 inches in length.

The B-run steelhead most often return to the Clearwater River, but some return to tributaries in the Salmon River. These fish usually spend two years in the ocean and start their migration to Idaho later in the summer or fall of the year – usually late August or September. Because of the extra year and the extra summer of growing in the ocean, they return as much bigger fish. Average B-run steelhead weigh between 10 and 13 pounds and are 31 to 34 inches long.

Steelhead grow even larger when they spend a third year in the ocean before they return to Idaho to spawn. These steelhead are usually larger than 37 inches and often weigh more than 20 pounds.

The Idaho state record steelhead was 30 pounds and 2 ounces and was caught in the Clearwater River in 1973. For more information check out the links below.

Chat Live with Fish & Game

about Licenses

Idaho Fish and Game wants to talk to hunters and anglers about hunting and fishing licenses.

Fish and Game will host a live chat from noon to 2 p.m., Mountain Time, Wednesday, December 11. Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions, provide feedback and learn more about hunting and fishing license options and programs.

New this year is the option to buy a three-year license, for convenience and a small savings. A three-year hunting license costs $34.75, instead of the yearly $12.75; and a three-year fishing license costs $73.75 instead of the yearly $25.75.

Don’t Forget to Report on

Deer, Elk, Pronghorn Tags

Hunters are required to file a report on their deer, elk and pronghorn hunts within 10 days after harvesting, or within 10 days after the end of the hunt if they did not hunt.

Hunters are required to file a report for each tag they bought whether they went hunting or not.

To make it easier to file a report, Fish and Game also has a 24-hour, toll-free phone line to speak to a live operator when filing reports. Call 1-877-268-9365 to file reports 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Or go to the Fish and Game Web site to file a report.

 To file reports, hunters need to know their tag numbers or hunting license numbers, the number of days they hunted, the game management units they hunted in, the date they harvested, and the number of antler points on the animal they harvested, or the length of the horns for pronghorns in inches.

These harvest data are valuable to Idaho Fish and Fame for managing big game populations.

Harvest data for past years is available on the website.

Ask Fish & Game: Resident Elk Tags

Q. If I bought a receipt for a resident elk tag for 2014 now, am I guaranteed the elk zone tag that I want?

A. The receipt guarantees you an elk tag, but does not guarantee the elk tag in the zone you want. For example, if you purchase a resident elk tag receipt for 2014 now, and you want the Selway B tag, you can redeem the receipt for the actual tag after the controlled hunt drawings in July. As long as there are Selway B elk tags available, the receipt can be redeemed for that tag.