Klamath River

KLAMATH RIVER
The mighty Klamath River is California’s second largest river and flows almost three hundred miles from Oregon to the mouth of the river at Requa in Klamath; CA. Klamath is headquarters or world class salmon and steelhead trout fishing and has often been referred to as the “Steelhead Capitol of the World.” The fish are not the only attraction though, located in the center of the Redwood National and State parks, Klamath Ca. is the ideal place for a family vacation, it’s breathtaking river adventures and miles of trails through old growth redwood forests centuries old, abundant wildlife including bears, coyotes, whales, seals and sea lions not to mention an array of birds including eagles, osprey, heron, pelican and seagulls.

KLAMATH SPRINGER SALMON
We begin fishing the Klamath in May to mid July for springers. We anchor on the edges of the river intercepting their natural traveling lanes with spinners or rogue spinner bait rigs. When that springer hits bait the fun begins, with the high spring flows and these football shaped salmon the battle is on. When it is all said and done you have the best tasting of all salmon. To many fishermen, barbecuing that first springer is a tradition. We fish out of a custom built Jet craft boat that is covered and heated for comfort.

KLAMATH SUMMER STEELHEAD
We begin fishing for summer run steelhead in mid July when the half pounders enter the river. The steelhead fishing has been outstanding the last 2 years with steelhead to 15lbs being landed. We side drift or boondoggle out of our jet sleds with small baits and drift balls on the lower 30 miles of the river. It is not uncommon to land 20 to 30 steelhead per day.

KLAMATH FALL RUN CHINOOK SALMON
The fall run of king salmon in the Klamath can run into the hundreds of thousands. The salmon enter the river in late July where we troll for them with spinners or rogue spinner bait rigs fishing the tides. In August the salmon begin making their upstream migration, where we target them in the deep holes and runs they hold in with our jet boats boondoggling or dragging bait. The average fall salmon is about 15lbs. with the larger fish in the 40lb class. There was a monster 68lb king salmon caught at the mouth of the river in August of 2004 (by net) by a local Yurok Indian. Limits of salmon are easily obtained and days of 30 plus fish are not uncommon.

The Smith River is the crown jewel of the Wild and Scenic River systems and the heart of the 305,000 acre Smith River National Recreation area. The Smiths emerald green waters flowing through centuries old towering redwood forests are a sight to behold. The Smith River is home to some of the largest Salmon and Steelhead in California. The state record Steelhead was caught in 1976 in the Smith River by a man named Robert Halley and weighed 27lbs 4ozs. Each year Salmon in the 50lb class and Steelhead to 25lbs are caught in this beautiful river. The Salmon run begins in early October, the Salmon enter the estuary and wait for the fall rains to begin their upstream journey and by mid December the Salmon run is over and the Steelhead run begins ending April 30th.

     I would like to give major credit to the Rowdy Creek Fish Hatchery which is a privately funded hatchery without which the fishing would not be nearly as good and remember hatchery fish are keepers.

CHETCO RIVER
FALL CHINOOK SALMON
The Chetco River on the south coast of Oregon near Brookings Oregon, like its sister river in California (the Smith River) is home to some of the largest salmon and steelhead trout on the west coast. Each year salmon to 60lbs and steelhead to 25lbs are caught on the Chetco.
The Chetco River is a short coastal stream approximately 55 miles long that in 1988 was designated as an Oregon Wild and Scenic River. I feel very fortunate to be one of only 26 guides or outfitters to operate commercially on the Upper Wild and Scenic section of the river. It receives far less fishing pressure and is a beautiful place to spend the day in a comfortable, heated drift boat that is also equipped with a rain top if needed. We start estuary fishing in mid October, trolling Rogue spinner bait rigs, cut plug herring, spinners, etc. When the fall rains start salmon begin their upstream journey to spawn. We pull diving plugs, kwikfish or flatfish wrapped with a sardine fillet or back bounce bait through the holes. When a big king salmon slams a kwikfish it’s hard to get the rod out of the holder, you must prepare for a long battle as these salmon have incredible stamina.

CHETCO RIVER
WINTER STEELHEAD
The Chetco River has a large run of wild winter steelhead that begins in mid December and peaks in February, it continues until March 31st. The Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife has done an excellent job with their hatchery program to maintain the genetic resources of native fish populations spawned or reared in captivity through their brood stock program, due to this we have a nice run of hatchery steelhead.
We fish out of drift boats, side drifting a small piece of cured roe and puffball naturally with the current as we drift down this pristine stream. The winter weather can vary from beautiful sunny days in the 60s to wet and cold, so make sure to dress in layers, wear waterproof footwear and bring raingear, sunglasses and a hat and certainly don’t forget your camera!