Klamath River

Fishing on the Klamath River

*Special Note.. The Klamath River is slated to have 4 large dams removed sometime around 2023. This will be one of the largest river restoration projects in the USA and will dramatically alter and improve the river habitat and hopefully go a long way towards salmon and steelhead recovery in the near future. Stay tuned...

The mighty Klamath River historically hosted one of the largest Chinook salmon fisheries in the western states along with enormous runs of steelhead. It is over 260 miles long originating in the vast high desert region of southeastern Oregon. The Klamath enters northern California from Oregon just north of the town of Yreka along the I-5 corridor.

Once over the CA/OR border the river enters a steep, rugged and remote canyon and flows unhindered by dams the rest of its long journey finally spilling into the Pacific Ocean about 20 miles south of Crescent City. The Trinity River is the largest tributary to the Klamath system and enters the Klamath River at Weitchpec.

Steelhead in the upper Klamath typically run smaller in size with an abundance of “trout sized” half-pounders, 14-18”. The average adult steelhead averages around 2-6 pounds.

We typically fish the upper river near Hornbrook during the fall/winter months. We fish techniques similar to the Trinity River – side drifting indicators with nymphs or swinging traditional flies with Spey rods and switch rods.

In the early summer months, we fish from a drift boat casting big dry flies that imitate the robust salmonfly and stonefly hatches that this river is famous for. We target big rainbow trout and occasional steelhead that are still in the system.

The “lower Klamath” near the town of Klamath Glen is a popular destination among traditional steelhead anglers during the summer and early fall season. This is one of the best destinations along the west coast to target fresh-from-the-ocean steelhead with Spey rods. A typical day will produce lots of “half-pounder” hookups providing steady targets. But there is the possibility of hooking a 10lbs plus chrome rocket – the fish you are really searching for – and the one fish that you will never forget! For more information on fishing the Klamath River, please contact me.