2026 regulation year
Idaho Fishing Regulations 2026 — License Fees, Seasons, Bag Limits
Last updated
Idaho runs a single-agency regulatory system through the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) covering all inland freshwater fisheries — Idaho is a fully landlocked Pacific Northwest state (no saltwater authority needed) but operates under the Columbia / Snake River anadromous-fish framework administered jointly with NOAA NMFS + USFWS + WDFW + ODFW for the chinook salmon + steelhead runs that return to the Snake River + Salmon River + Clearwater River drainages every year through the Columbia River system. The Snake River main stem (1,078-mile river, with the 588-mile ID reach forming the southern + western state boundary with NV + OR + WA from the WY/ID line east of Jackson WY downstream to the WA/OR line at Lewiston ID — country's tenth-largest river by discharge) is the spine of Idaho's anadromous fishery, with the Hells Canyon Dam Complex (Brownlee Reservoir 15,000 acres + Oxbow Reservoir + Hells Canyon Reservoir, all Idaho Power-operated dams built 1958-1967) forming the upstream blockade to anadromous fish passage — chinook salmon + steelhead returning to upper Snake spawning grounds were extirpated above Hells Canyon Dam in the 1960s; the current anadromous fishery is the Lower Granite Dam tailwater + Snake River from the WA/OR line at Lewiston ID upstream to Hells Canyon Dam + the Salmon River + the Clearwater River + the tributary spawning streams. The Salmon River (425-mile longest free-flowing river in the lower 48 — country's longest river entirely within a single state — Stanley ID to the Snake River confluence at Riggins ID downstream of the Salmon River-Snake River confluence) is one of the country's premier wild + hatchery chinook + steelhead rivers, with the Middle Fork Salmon (104-mile NPS-designated National Wild & Scenic River, one of the most remote whitewater rivers in the lower 48), the South Fork Salmon, and the Main Salmon supporting naturally-reproducing wild chinook + steelhead runs alongside IDFG hatchery supplementation. The Clearwater River (75-mile main stem from Lewiston ID upstream through Orofino ID to the Lochsa + Selway forks at Lowell ID) is the country's premier B-run steelhead river — the unique 'B-run' steelhead ecotype (larger steelhead, ocean residence 2-3 years, returning at 12-20+ pounds, spawning above the Lochsa + Selway forks) is found only in the Clearwater + a handful of Salmon River tributaries. The Henry's Fork of the Snake River (130-mile southeastern Idaho river — Island Park Reservoir + Big Springs headwaters in the upper Snake Plain through Box Canyon + Last Chance + Harriman State Park 'Railroad Ranch' + Pinehaven + Riverside + Cardiac Canyon + Mesa Falls + Ashton + St. Anthony + Rexburg to its confluence with the South Fork Snake at Menan ID) is the most famous wild rainbow trout river in the West — Harriman State Park 'Railroad Ranch' is the legendary fly-fishing-only catch-and-release reach that defined the modern dry-fly + technical-nymphing tradition. Lake Pend Oreille (148 sq mi, 1,158 ft maximum depth — 5th-deepest natural lake in the country after Crater Lake OR + Lake Tahoe CA/NV + Lake Chelan WA + Lake Superior — Idaho's largest lake by surface area + the country's premier inland Kamloops rainbow trout + Gerrard rainbow trout + lake trout fishery — ID state-record rainbow trout 37 lb 0 oz Pend Oreille 1947 is the historical world-record-class inland rainbow trout, and Pend Oreille remains one of the only inland lakes in the country producing 20+ lb rainbow trout consistently). Coeur d'Alene Lake (31,400 acres, 25-mile long northern panhandle lake — Kootenai + Benewah Counties — Idaho's third-largest natural lake) carries a mixed cold-water + warm-water fishery (chinook salmon stocked since 1982 + cutthroat trout + bull trout + naturally-reproducing largemouth + smallmouth + crappie). Priest Lake (23,000 acres, 38 sq mi natural glacial lake in Bonner County, northern Idaho panhandle adjacent to the WA + BC border) carries native bull trout + lake trout + kokanee fishery — IDFG-distinctive Mackinaw (lake trout) suppression program on Priest + Pend Oreille to protect native bull trout (federally Threatened under ESA — hookless catch-and-release only on most waters). Henrys Lake (6,500 acres natural lake on the Henry's Fork headwaters at the Continental Divide near Yellowstone NP) carries IDFG-managed trophy Yellowstone cutthroat + cutbow hybrid (Henrys Lake cutbow) + brook trout fishery — one of the country's premier trophy cutthroat fisheries, supported by IDFG Henry's Lake State Fish Hatchery + electric-motor-only special-regulation. Bear Lake (110 sq mi natural lake on the ID/UT boundary at the south end of the Bear River Range — Bear Lake County ID + Rich County UT) carries the endemic Bear Lake cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii utah subspecies endemic to Bear Lake — one of only four endemic Bear Lake fish species alongside the Bonneville cisco + Bonneville whitefish + Bear Lake whitefish) + IDFG/UDWR joint reciprocal compact on the boundary. Dworshak Reservoir (16,800 acres on the North Fork Clearwater River — USACE Walla Walla District Dworshak Dam built 1973 — 53-mile reservoir near Orofino ID) carries trophy kokanee salmon + smallmouth bass fishery — Dworshak smallmouth + kokanee Idaho's premier upland-reservoir fishery. The Hells Canyon (7,900 ft deep — North America's deepest river gorge, on the Snake River from Hells Canyon Dam downstream to Asotin WA at the WA/OR line) is the Snake River anadromous-fishery flagship + boating recreation destination. IDFG anadromous-fishery framework: Steelhead Permit ($13.75 res / $13.75 NR — same fee for both, one of only a handful of states with same-fee anadromous endorsement) required for steelhead anglers; Salmon Permit ($13.75 res / $13.75 NR — same fee) required for chinook salmon anglers; both permits supplement the Fishing Licence. IDFG-distinctive Free Fishing Day on the second Saturday of June each year — no licence required statewide for 24 hours, one of the most generous free-fishing days in the country. IDFG statewide standard: rainbow trout 6 / day combined trout (rainbow + brown + brook + cutthroat + bull trout — but bull trout federally Threatened ESA so hookless catch-and-release only on most waters) + 16-20 in min on listed quality-management waters; cutthroat trout 2 / day on Snake River drainage + 0 / day catch-and-release-only on Henrys Lake + tributaries + Bear Lake (endemic Bonneville cutthroat protection) + listed Salmon River + Clearwater wild-trout reaches; chinook salmon 2 / day + 4 in possession + IDFG annual season window May – August on the Snake + Salmon + Clearwater (season opening + closure announced by IDFG Director annually based on Lower Granite Dam upstream passage counts); steelhead 3 / day + 9 in possession + IDFG annual season September – April (A-run 6-9 lb upper Snake + Salmon + B-run 12-20+ lb Clearwater + lower Salmon); smallmouth bass 6 / day no minimum statewide (Idaho-distinctive aggressive smallmouth harvest rule — IDFG actively manages smallmouth as an invasive non-native species in the Snake River drainage to reduce predation pressure on native cutthroat + chinook + steelhead populations); largemouth + spotted bass 6 / day + 12 in min statewide on warm-water reservoirs; walleye 0 / day catch-and-release-only on most ID waters (IDFG-distinctive — walleye are an invasive non-native species in Idaho, mostly limited to the Snake River + Brownlee Reservoir + introduced populations; IDFG does not stock walleye and encourages removal); kokanee salmon 6 / day on Pend Oreille + Dworshak + Coeur d'Alene + listed waters; bull trout 0 / day catch-and-release-only statewide (federally Threatened ESA — hookless single-hook artificial-only on listed waters). IDFG stocks ~30 million chinook salmon + steelhead smolts annually through the Snake River anadromous-fishery hatchery system (IDFG Eagle Fish Hatchery + Hagerman National Fish Hatchery + Niagara Springs + Crystal Springs + Sawtooth Fish Hatchery + Pahsimeroi + McCall + South Fork Salmon + Clearwater Hatchery + Dworshak National Fish Hatchery + Kooskia National Fish Hatchery + Powell Tribal Hatchery) — Idaho is the highest-volume anadromous-fish hatchery state outside Alaska + Washington + Oregon. IDFG fees: $30.50 res annual fishing + $44.00 res combo fishing + hunting + $13.75 res Salmon Permit + $13.75 res Steelhead Permit + $13.50 res 3-day fishing + $14.25 res senior (62+) reduced + $0 res permanently disabled veteran 100% service-connected + $0 res under 14; $108.25 NR annual fishing + $35.50 NR 3-day fishing + $13.50 NR 1-day fishing + $13.75 NR Salmon Permit + $13.75 NR Steelhead Permit + $23.25 NR Junior 14-17 reduced + $0 NR under 14. Resident under 14 + age 62+ reduced + permanently disabled veteran 100% service-connected qualify for free or reduced fees.
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License fees
| Licence | Price (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Resident annual fishing | $30.50 | |
| Resident annual combination fishing + hunting | $44.00 | |
| Resident Salmon Permit | $13.75 | Required to fish for or possess chinook salmon (IDFG-distinctive same-fee Salmon Permit for res + NR — $13.75 / $13.75) |
| Resident Steelhead Permit | $13.75 | Required to fish for or possess steelhead (IDFG-distinctive same-fee Steelhead Permit for res + NR — $13.75 / $13.75) |
| Resident 3-day fishing | $13.50 | |
| Resident senior (62+) reduced annual | $14.25 | Reduced annual senior licence at age 62+ |
| Resident permanently disabled veteran (100%) | Free | Free lifetime licence with 100% service-connected VA disability documentation |
| Resident under 14 | Free | Not required under age 14 |
| Licence | Price (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Non-resident annual fishing | $108.25 | |
| Non-resident 3-day fishing | $35.50 | |
| Non-resident 1-day fishing | $13.50 | |
| Non-resident Salmon Permit | $13.75 | Required to fish for or possess chinook salmon |
| Non-resident Steelhead Permit | $13.75 | Required to fish for or possess steelhead |
| Non-resident Junior (14-17) reduced annual | $23.25 | Reduced annual junior licence age 14-17 |
| Non-resident under 14 | Free | Not required under age 14 |
Buy directly from Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG). Fees may include processing surcharges at point of sale.
Top species — season, bag, size
| Species | Season | Daily bag | Size / slot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow troutCompare across states → | Open year-round on most waters; quality-management waters carry seasonal closures; Henry's Fork + Box Canyon + Harriman State Park catch-and-release reach managed under IDFG special-regulation | 6 / day combined trout (rainbow + brown + brook + cutthroat) statewide; 2 / day + catch-and-release on listed quality-management waters | 16-20 in min on listed quality-management reaches (Henry's Fork + Box Canyon + Harriman State Park); no statewide minimum on most waters |
| Cutthroat troutCompare across states → | Open year-round on most waters; Henrys Lake + Bear Lake + listed Snake River + Salmon River + Clearwater wild-trout reaches carry season + harvest restrictions | 2 / day on Snake River drainage; 0 / day catch-and-release-only on Henrys Lake + Bear Lake + listed wild-trout reaches | No statewide minimum; 16-20 in min on Henrys Lake trophy reach + 22 in min on Bear Lake trophy reach (release inside slot) |
| Chinook salmonCompare across states → | IDFG annual season May – August on Snake + Salmon + Clearwater; opening + closure announced by IDFG Director based on Lower Granite Dam upstream passage counts | 2 / day + 4 in possession (IDFG annual rule — varies by reach + season window) | No minimum on hatchery-marked fin-clipped salmon; native-strain salmon catch-and-release-only |
| SteelheadCompare across states → | IDFG annual season September – April on Snake + Salmon + Clearwater (A-run 6-9 lb upper Snake + Salmon + B-run 12-20+ lb Clearwater + lower Salmon) | 3 / day + 9 in possession on hatchery-marked fin-clipped steelhead | No minimum on hatchery-marked steelhead; native-strain wild steelhead catch-and-release-only on most waters |
| Smallmouth bassCompare across states → | Open year-round statewide; March – June pre-spawn + spawn densest fishing window on Snake River + Brownlee + Dworshak | 6 / day no statewide minimum (IDFG-distinctive aggressive harvest rule — smallmouth managed as invasive non-native species in the Snake River drainage) | No statewide minimum (IDFG-distinctive — encourages harvest to reduce predation pressure on native salmon + steelhead + cutthroat) |
| Kokanee salmonCompare across states → | Open year-round on most waters; fall spawning run September – November on tributary mouths + shorelines; downrigger trolling + ice fishing on Pend Oreille + Coeur d'Alene + Dworshak + Cascade | 6 / day on Lake Pend Oreille, Dworshak, Coeur d'Alene + Priest Lake + listed kokanee waters; limit varies by water (confirm current-year reach rule) | No statewide minimum |
| Lake troutCompare across states → | Open year-round; densest fishing November – April (early-season + ice fishery) on Lake Pend Oreille + Priest Lake | No daily limit on Lake Pend Oreille + Priest Lake (IDFG Mackinaw-suppression — harvest encouraged); check listed waters for any limit | No statewide minimum on the suppression waters |
| Brook troutCompare across states → | Open year-round on most waters; the high-mountain alpine-lake fishery runs July – September after ice-out | Within the statewide 6 / day combined trout limit; many high-mountain lakes + streams carry liberalized or bonus brook-trout limits (confirm the reach rule) | No statewide minimum |
Notable water-body special regulations
Idaho's flagship anadromous + warm-water river; chinook salmon 2 / day + Salmon Permit required + IDFG annual season May – August; steelhead 3 / day + Steelhead Permit required + IDFG annual season September – April on the Lower Granite Dam tailwater + Snake River from Lewiston upstream to Hells Canyon Dam; smallmouth bass 6 / day no minimum (IDFG-distinctive aggressive harvest); walleye 0 / day catch-and-release-only (IDFG-distinctive invasive-species rule); trout 6 / day combined; bull trout 0 / day catch-and-release-only (federally Threatened ESA)
Chinook salmon 2 / day + Salmon Permit required + IDFG annual season May – August (Main Salmon + Middle Fork + South Fork + lower Salmon); steelhead 3 / day + Steelhead Permit required + IDFG annual season September – April; cutthroat trout 0 / day catch-and-release-only on listed wild-trout reaches (IDFG protection for native westslope cutthroat); bull trout 0 / day catch-and-release-only (federally Threatened ESA); Middle Fork Salmon 104-mile NPS-designated National Wild & Scenic River (one of most remote whitewater rivers in lower 48)
Steelhead 3 / day + Steelhead Permit required + IDFG annual season September – April; B-run steelhead ecotype (12-20+ lb fish, ocean residence 2-3 years) found only in Clearwater + handful of Salmon River tributaries; chinook salmon 2 / day + Salmon Permit; cutthroat trout 0 / day catch-and-release-only on listed wild-trout reaches; bull trout 0 / day catch-and-release-only
Henry's Fork of the Snake River
Catch-and-release-only on Harriman State Park 'Railroad Ranch' fly-fishing-only reach; trout 6 / day combined elsewhere with 16-20 in min on Box Canyon + Last Chance quality-management reaches; rainbow trout self-sustaining wild fishery; one of country's premier dry-fly + technical-nymphing trout fisheries; IDFG Henrys Lake State Fish Hatchery facility upstream at Henrys Lake
Kamloops rainbow trout + Gerrard rainbow trout + lake trout + kokanee salmon + bull trout fishery; ID state-record rainbow trout 37 lb 0 oz Pend Oreille 1947 (historically world-record-class inland rainbow trout); trout 6 / day combined; kokanee salmon 6 / day; lake trout (Mackinaw) IDFG-managed suppression program to protect native bull trout (federally Threatened ESA); bull trout 0 / day catch-and-release-only
IDFG stocks chinook salmon since 1982 (one of only inland US lakes with stocked chinook outside the Great Lakes + Lake Sakakawea ND + Lake Oahe SD); cutthroat trout 0 / day catch-and-release-only (IDFG protection for native westslope cutthroat); largemouth + smallmouth + spotted bass combined 6 / day + 12 in min; crappie 25 / day; northern pike 0 / day catch-and-release-only (invasive species); bull trout 0 / day catch-and-release-only
Native bull trout + lake trout (Mackinaw) + kokanee salmon fishery; IDFG-distinctive Mackinaw suppression program to protect native bull trout (federally Threatened ESA); bull trout 0 / day catch-and-release-only; lake trout no daily bag (encouraged harvest); kokanee 6 / day; rainbow + cutthroat trout 6 / day combined
Trophy Yellowstone cutthroat + cutbow hybrid (Henrys Lake cutbow) + brook trout fishery; cutthroat trout 2 / day + 20 in min TROPHY MANAGEMENT on Henrys Lake (one of country's premier trophy cutthroat fisheries); electric-motor-only special-regulation; IDFG Henrys Lake State Fish Hatchery facility
Endemic Bear Lake cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii utah subspecies endemic to Bear Lake — one of only four endemic Bear Lake fish species alongside Bonneville cisco + Bonneville whitefish + Bear Lake whitefish); IDFG / UDWR joint reciprocal compact on the boundary (anglers fishing main stem may use ID or UT Fishing Licence); cutthroat trout 2 / day + 22 in min TROPHY MANAGEMENT (release inside slot); Bonneville cisco snag-fishing January season unique to Bear Lake
Trophy kokanee salmon + smallmouth bass fishery; kokanee 6 / day no minimum (Idaho's premier kokanee fishery); smallmouth bass 6 / day no minimum (IDFG-distinctive aggressive harvest); steelhead 3 / day + Steelhead Permit + IDFG annual season; bull trout 0 / day catch-and-release-only; Dworshak National Fish Hatchery (USFWS — country's largest steelhead hatchery facility by output, ~3 million smolts annually)
ID/OR joint reciprocal compact on the boundary reservoir (anglers fishing main stem may use ID or OR Fishing Licence); smallmouth bass 6 / day no minimum (one of country's premier reservoir smallmouth fisheries — Snake River smallmouth ecotype); crappie 25 / day; walleye 0 / day catch-and-release-only (IDFG-distinctive invasive-species rule); largemouth + spotted bass combined 6 / day + 12 in min
Oxbow Reservoir + Hells Canyon Reservoir
ID/OR joint reciprocal compact; smallmouth bass 6 / day no minimum; crappie 25 / day; walleye 0 / day catch-and-release-only; Hells Canyon Dam is the upstream blockade to anadromous fish passage (chinook + steelhead extirpated above Hells Canyon Dam in 1960s)
Steelhead 3 / day + Steelhead Permit required + IDFG annual season September – April (densest steelhead fishing in Idaho); chinook salmon 2 / day + Salmon Permit required + IDFG annual season May – August (upstream blockade for anadromous-fish monitoring + counting station); Lewiston ID is the head of slack water + the upstream limit of barge navigation from the Pacific via the Columbia + Snake River system
Trout 6 / day combined with 18 in min cutthroat TROPHY MANAGEMENT (release inside slot — IDFG-distinctive aggressive native cutthroat protection); cutthroat trout 2 / day TROPHY rule; brown trout 18 in min + 1 / day; rainbow trout 6 / day; the country's premier native Yellowstone cutthroat + brown trout tailwater
Wild chinook salmon + wild steelhead + native westslope cutthroat trout fishery; cutthroat trout 0 / day catch-and-release-only (IDFG protection); bull trout 0 / day catch-and-release-only (federally Threatened ESA); chinook salmon 2 / day + Salmon Permit + IDFG annual season; classic Idaho float-fishing wilderness destination + NPS Wild & Scenic designation
Silver Creek (Nature Conservancy Preserve reach)
Legendary spring-creek trophy fishery near Picabo: Hwy 20 bridge upstream to the Grove/Stalker Creek confluence — trout catch-and-release, fly-fishing only, no bait, one barbless hook per fly, Memorial Day weekend – Nov 30 (closed Dec 1 – before Memorial Day); no fishing from boats/rafts (float tubes OK). Below the Hwy 20 bridge: 2 trout, none 12–16 in.
South Fork Boise River (below Anderson Ranch Dam)
Trophy tailwater from Neal Bridge (FR 189) up to Anderson Ranch Dam: no bait, one barbless hook per fly or lure; Dec 1 – Mar 31 catch-and-release; Memorial Day weekend – Nov 30 trout limit 2, none under 20 in. Premier big-rainbow fly water near Boise.
Extended catch-and-release reach from the Hwy 75 bridge (≈ MP 136.2) upstream to the headwaters: trout C&R, no bait, one barbless hook per fly/lure, Memorial Day weekend – Mar 31. Ketchum-area wild-rainbow stream; rules under active IDFG working-group review.
Little Wood River (above Baugh Creek)
Fly-fishing only, barbless hooks; trout limit 2 (from Baugh Creek upstream, including tributaries). Reduced-bag wild-trout headwater above Carey.
Kelly Creek (Clearwater County) + tributaries
Famed North Fork Clearwater westslope-cutthroat water: Dec 1 – before Memorial Day catch-and-release (no bait except maggots); Memorial Day weekend – Nov 30 trout limit 2, no cutthroat under 14 in, no bait, barbless hooks.
St. Joe River (above the North Fork St. Joe)
Wild westslope-cutthroat fly water (the 'St. Joe') above the North Fork confluence: trout limit 6 but NO harvest of cutthroat (red/orange-slash trout), no bait, barbless hooks.
North Fork Coeur d'Alene River (confluence to Yellow Dog Creek)
Westslope-cutthroat reach from the North Fork/South Fork confluence upstream to Yellow Dog Creek (and tributaries): no bait, barbless hooks; trout limit 6, no harvest of cutthroat.
Coeur d'Alene River (main stem)
Lower main stem from the mouth up to the North Fork/South Fork confluence: trout limit 6, no harvest of cutthroat (red/orange-slash trout). Wild westslope-cutthroat river distinct from Coeur d'Alene Lake.
Wilderness Wild & Scenic cutthroat river: Memorial Day weekend – Nov 30 trout limit 2, none under 14 in, no bait, barbless hooks — one of the few reaches where IDFG allows limited cutthroat harvest.
Hwy 12 cutthroat river, mouth up to the Wilderness Gateway motor bridge: Dec 1 – before Memorial Day catch-and-release (no bait except maggots); Memorial Day weekend – Nov 30 trout limit 2, none under 14 in, no bait, barbless hooks.
Dominant native Yellowstone-cutthroat fishery: Dec 1 – before Memorial Day trout limit 0 (C&R); Memorial Day weekend – Nov 30 trout limit 6 but no harvest of cutthroat — rainbow harvest is unlimited to suppress non-native rainbow and protect cutthroat genetics.
Falls River (Henrys Fork basin)
Yellowstone-cutthroat river (IDFG spelling 'Falls River'): Dec 1 – before Memorial Day trout limit 0 (C&R); Memorial Day weekend – Nov 30 trout limit 2, no harvest of cutthroat.
Warm River (Henrys Fork basin)
Spring-fed cutthroat tributary: Dec 1 – before Memorial Day catch-and-release; Memorial Day weekend – Nov 30 trout limit 6, no harvest of cutthroat.
Native-cutthroat restoration river (Salmon drainage): Memorial Day weekend – Nov 30 trout limit 6, no harvest of cutthroat, barbless hooks (the former 14-in trout minimum was removed; cutthroat no-harvest retained).
Native Yellowstone/westslope-cutthroat river managed with the Lemhi for cutthroat recovery: no harvest of cutthroat (red/orange-slash trout); barbless hooks. Salmon-drainage wild-trout stream.
Reduced-bag wild-trout reach: trout limit 2, all species combined (half the statewide default), barbless hooks. Separate steelhead-season rules apply on the same water.
River reach (distinct from Lake Pend Oreille): trout limit 6, no harvest of cutthroat (red/orange-slash trout). Westslope/Yellowstone-cutthroat protection on the Panhandle river.
Frequently asked questions
- Do you need a fishing license to fish in Idaho?
- Yes. Idaho requires residents and non-residents alike to hold a valid fishing license, with the usual exemptions for young children, state free-fishing days, and some senior or disabled-veteran categories. Buy directly from Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG); resident and non-resident fees are listed in the tables above.
- How much is a fishing license in Idaho?
- Resident fees range from $13.50 (resident 3-day fishing) to $44.00 (resident annual combination fishing + hunting); Non-resident fees range from $13.50 (non-resident 1-day fishing) to $108.25 (non-resident annual fishing). The full breakdown — annual, multi-day, senior, and lifetime options — is in the license-fee tables above, and you can compare Idaho against every other state on the license-fee comparator.
- What fish can you catch in Idaho?
- Idaho anglers most commonly target Rainbow trout, Cutthroat trout, Chinook salmon, Steelhead, Smallmouth bass, Kokanee salmon, and others. Each species sets its own season, daily bag, and size or slot limit — compare them in the species table above, or open a species page for the full 2026 rule.
- When does fishing season open in Idaho?
- It depends on the species — Idaho sets a separate season for each. Warmwater fish like bass, catfish, and panfish are open year-round in most of the state, while trout, walleye, salmon, and other cold-water or migratory species have dated seasons. The season column in the table above shows each one, and Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) can shift dates by emergency order.
- Are there special fishing rules on specific Idaho waters?
- Yes. 32 named Idaho waters carry regulations that differ from the statewide rule, including Snake River main stem, Salmon River, Clearwater River, and 29 more. See the notable water-body special regulations above for the exact rule on each.
Official source
Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) is the authoritative source for Idaho fishing regulations. Always verify rules before fishing — emergency closures and in-season changes can override published booklets.
Visit official Idaho fishing regulations →
Emergency-order channel
In-season closures, slot-limit changes, and run-count-driven harvest pauses are posted to Idaho Department of Fish and Game's emergency-order feed — check it before any Idaho trip during the active season.