Idaho river salmon anglers (no jet boaters), questions

[j_ravenswood]

Do you fish for salmon off the banks of rivers?
Do you wear the typical fly gear like waders?
Is King, chinook, one of the salmonid species that can be taken from ID rivers during spawning seasons?
Do you prefer summer or winter?
Do you use strictly fly tackle, spin tackle with spoons/spinners, spinning rods with terminal fly tackle?

Do other ID rivers salmon species taste better to you than kings?
Are most ID salmon caught farmed, missing adipose fin, or truly wild?

I think about fishing for king salmon in ID rivers, clean, clear high-mountain ID rivers but I hate snags, line bird nests and wind knots. I've fished for pan trout in Sierra small streams while floating salmon eggs on cheese leaders with tiny treble hooks but the line on a spinning reel can get messy to manage. Salmon is my single favorite food fish and smoked salmon is like gold.

I have no real desire to go after steelhead.

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[snarlingdog]

Watch some videos on YouTube. That will help you figure it all out

 

[Flymph]

Just make sure you buy all of the proper licenses and tags... most guys I talk to float roe for salmon in the snake and fish trout with flies or spinners everywhere else... Populations in ID are almost exclusively thanks to recent efforts of the tribe's hatchery program and cooperation with IDFG. Most real anglers are not strictly into one type of fishing, rather they adapt to suit the situation.

I'd do some research as to what appeals to you.

 

[Caveman Jim]

Don't be that guy that steps into the river looking like he just came from Cabela's....

 

[bbbass]

Oh boy, here we go again.

Watch some vids, read some books, go to a river and see what is happening, talk to some old guys. Make the effort. There are no shortcuts.

 

[DirectDrive]

Do you fish for salmon off the banks of rivers?
Do you wear the typical fly gear like waders?
Is King, chinook, one of the salmonid species that can be taken from ID rivers during spawning seasons?
Do you prefer summer or winter?
Do you use strictly fly tackle, spin tackle with spoons/spinners, spinning rods with terminal fly tackle?

Do other ID rivers salmon species taste better to you than kings?
Are most ID salmon caught farmed, missing adipose fin, or truly wild?

I think about fishing for king salmon in ID rivers, clean, clear high-mountain ID rivers but I hate snags, line bird nests and wind knots. I've fished for pan trout in Sierra small streams while floating salmon eggs on cheese leaders with tiny treble hooks but the line on a spinning reel can get messy to manage. Salmon is my single favorite food fish and smoked salmon is like gold.

I have no real desire to go after steelhead.

IMO, you're too far inland for quality salmon for the table.
The fish that eventually make it to your neck of the woods are going to be dark and beat up.

The Spring Chinook run is winding down and seems the the furthest inland fishery that you hear about is the Priest Rapids reach of the Columbia River and I think that's closed now.
There is a Fall race of Chinook that kicks off in October (earlier in Nehalem Bay) but this is a coastal show.
The fish are bigger than Springers, but table quality is not as good as Springer.

The big Fall fish are a hoot to catch on light tackle in the small rivers.

 

[Flymph]

IMO, you're too far inland for quality salmon for the table.
The fish that eventually make it to your neck of the woods are going to be dark and beat up.

The Spring Chinook run is winding down and seems the the furthest inland fishery that you hear about is the Priest Rapids reach of the Columbia River and I think that's closed now.
There is a Fall race of Chinook that kicks off in October (earlier in Nehalem Bay) but this is a coastal show.
The fish are bigger than Springers, but table quality is not as good as Springer.

The big Fall fish are a hoot to catch on light tackle in the small rivers.

I've seen some good silvers from the snake, but otherwise I'd have to agree.

 

[Caveman Jim]

IMO, you're too far inland for quality salmon for the table.
The fish that eventually make it to your neck of the woods are going to be dark and beat up.

The Spring Chinook run is winding down and seems the the furthest inland fishery that you hear about is the Priest Rapids reach of the Columbia River and I think that's closed now.
There is a Fall race of Chinook that kicks off in October (earlier in Nehalem Bay) but this is a coastal show.
The fish are bigger than Springers, but table quality is not as good as Springer.

The big Fall fish are a hoot to catch on light tackle in the small rivers.

They'll smoke up just fine...