Nez Perce Tribe Online Fishing Permit Sales

Fishing Season Updates

For any season changes please call NPT Fisheries Enforcement at (877) 790-3474, call IDFG at (208) 334-3700 or visit the Idaho Fish & Game website: https://idfg.idaho.gov/

This area will contain updated information on fishing seasons posted throughout the year. Please view the posted fishing Regulations. Waters not specifically designated remain closed unless opened by Idaho Fish & Game.

Coho Methods of Take

Only barbless hooks may be used when fishing for salmon. Bending the barb down to the shank of a single, double, or treble hook will meet this requirement.
It is unlawful to use any hook larger than 5/8 inch measured from the point of the hook to the shank.

Possession & Season Limits

~ Daily and Season Limits may change throughout the season based on run strength and allowable harvest numbers.

~ All salmon that are hooked, landed and reduced to possession shall be counted in the limits of the person hooking the fish.

For any season changes or information please call NPT Fisheries Enforcement at (877) 790-3474, call IDFG at (208) 334-3700 or visit the Idaho Fish & Game website: https://idfg.idaho.gov/

Catch Reporting

Please complete the catch information on your permit for each Adult Coho Salmon reduced to possession. A Nez Perce Tribe Fisheries Conservation Enforcement Officer may contact you during or after the season to tabulate harvest information.

Fish Identification

For more information about how to identify Chinook, Coho or Steelhead, please see the quick Identification Guide!

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Nez Perce Tribe Reservation

The following areas are open to fishing within the Nez Perce Reservation boundaries:

~ Nez Perce Tribe Fishing reservation boundaries start at Hatwai Creek (next to the Clearwater River Casino) on the west boundary, going upstream the Clearwater River to the Confluence of the Middle Fork Clearwater River.

~ North Fork Clearwater River is open from the confluence to the Clearwater river upstream to Dworshak Dam.

~ Middle Fork Clearwater is open from the confluence with the South Fork Clearwater River upstream to HWY 12 Bridge at milepost #79.

~ South Fork Clearwater, from its confluence with Clearwater River upstream to Reservation Boundary ar Harpster.

**Please see posted fishing Regulations for a complete listing of fishing Rules & Regulations including special restrictions

Harvest Rules

~ It shall be unlawful to fish in any waters while having fish in possession which violate rules for those waters.

~ Coho Salmon with an attached adipose fin can be harvested. Please be aware that Steelhead and fall Chinook Salmon occur in these waters, and they must have a clipped adipose fin to be kept. (It is your responsibility to know the difference!)

~ All salmon that are hooked, landed and reduced to possession shall be counted in the limits of the person hooking the fish.

**Please see posted fishing Regulations for a complete listing of fishing Rules & Regulations

Tribe Restores Coho

Nez Perce Tribe’s Coho Salmon program started in 1995 to restore the once abundant species to the Clearwater. The Tribe used surplus Coho eggs from the lower Columbia River funded by Pacific Salmon Recovery Funds and Mitchell Act Funds.

For the first time, Coho returns are approaching the tribal goal of 14,000 adults returning annually to the Clearwater Basin. Many of the returning Snake River Coho are caught in tribal and other fisheries in the Columbia River and a Nez Perce Tribal Fishery in the Clearwater Basin Rivers.

"Just as when Lewis and Clark arrived in the Northwest, the tribe continues to work to preserve and protect its resources, but it also shares in the bounty of those resources."
Silas Whitman, Chairman of the Nez Perce Tribe