Klamath River Fishing Report

Fall kings are pushing hard out of the estuary and upriver right now, driven by cool water releases from Lewiston Dam that started Aug. 28 (450 cfs stepping up to as much as 1,200 cfs through Sept. 21) plus cooler air and recent rain. The spit fishery at the mouth closed to angling Sept. 3 after harvest hit the adult fall Chinook quota, so the estuary hot bite of the last few weeks is off the table. The rest of the lower river... Weitchpec bridge to the mouth is still open on a 1,624-adult quota of which 1,192 remained as of Aug. 28 (will likely be well down after Labor Day traffic). Expect fresh fish staging in holes throughout the lower river... work them at first light, and figure on higher, colder, and pushier water than the flows you saw last week.

Flows have been running high and steady all week, and that’s lit up the lower Klamath with big schools of steelhead pushing upriver. Water came up midweek with dam releases peaking around 4,100 cfs before slowly dropping off, but even as flows settle, there’s still plenty of movement and fresh fish filtering in.

The steelhead bite has been excellent, with most boats connecting with multiple fish daily, and it’s clear the main push is underway. Look for more pulses of fish moving up as the flows stabilize even more so heading into next week. Salmon are showing up in the lower river, but remember, they are currently off limits.

Stay current on regulations and make sure you have your Steelhead Card in hand.