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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Correction: Idaho coho season opens Saturday

Idaho Falls angler Steve Micek landed an 11.8-pound coho from the Clearwater River.
Idaho Falls angler Steve Micek landed an 11.8-pound coho from the Clearwater River.

FISHING -- Idaho's 2017 coho fishing season will open Saturday, Oct. 7 -- that's 10 days earlier than announced in an Idaho Fish and Game Department release earlier this week.

The date change reflects a clerical error. The season is set to run Oct. 7-Nov. 19, or until further notice.

Here's the rest of the details provided by Idaho Fish and Game this afternoon.

Fishing will be allowed on the Mainstem Clearwater River, the North Fork Clearwater River downstream of Dworshak Dam, and the Middle Fork Clearwater River upstream to Clear Creek.

Fishing will be allowed seven days a week and 24-hours a day during the designated season and locations.

Bag limits will be two coho daily, six in possession and 10 during the 2017 season. The coho salmon season limit is in addition to the Chinook season limit. Coho salmon with or without an attached adipose fin can be harvested. Anglers must have valid salmon permit to keep coho.

Anglers should beware that steelhead and fall Chinook fishing seasons occur in the same waters, and the rules for those fish are different than for coho. Chinook and steelhead must have a clipped adipose fin to be kept.

Coho were reintroduced into the Clearwater River system by the Nez Perce Tribe, and Idaho held its first coho sport fishing season in 2014.

This year’s return is enough to replenish hatcheries and provide a modest sport fishing harvest. Through Oct. 3, 2,371 coho had crossed over Lower Granite Dam about 30 miles downstream from Lewiston.



Rich Landers
Rich Landers joined The Spokesman-Review in 1977. He is the Outdoors editor for the Sports Department writing and photographing stories about hiking, hunting, fishing, boating, conservation, nature and wildlife and related topics.

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