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Event Article:
Fishing the Klamath River |
Fishing the
Klamath River for Salmon and Steelhead with Gary Hix
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Date: |
10/18/07 |
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Location: |
Klamath
River, California |
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Event Date: |
Oct 13-14 |
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Reviewer: |
Zander & Cal |
Introduction:
The Klamath river, once
the third largest producer of salmon on the west coast, is still a prime
destination for both fly and drift bait anglers looking to hook into both King
Salmon and Steelhead. We take a trip to this legendary river with the hopes of
testing some of the latest tackle and hoping to land a trophy steelhead in the
process.
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The Klamath
river offers some stunning scenery as well as excellent angling
opportunities for Salmon and Steelhead |
About the Klamath
River:
The Klamath river, approximately 263 miles (400 km) long, is a major river in
southern Oregon and northern California. Once the third largest producer of
salmon on the West Coast, but only a fraction of the river's historic runs
remain since the construction of six dams, built between 1908 and 1962. Many of
these dams have now been fitted with fish ladders to help the fish make a
comeback.
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You gotta
love a town that greets you with a sign like this |
The Klamath drains an arid farming valley in its upper reaches, passing swiftly
through the mountains in its lower section before emptying into the Pacific
Ocean. It is also one of the longest rivers in California and the name of the
river comes from a Native American word klamet meaning "swiftness." At
one time the river provided a significant transportation route for passing
through the Cascades. Archeological evidence in the valley suggests it has been
inhabited for at least 7,000 years and the river and its fish are considered
sacred by resident Native American tribes, who still net fish on the river
today.
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The Klamath
empties into the Pacific Ocean
(mouth is at the lower right beneath the clouds) |
A
few years back the Klamath took center stage when too much water was diverted
for irrigation during a drought period when unusually low flows hurt the
fishery. According to biologists from the state of California and the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, the atypically low flows in the river combined with high
fish return numbers and high water temperatures allowed for a gill rot disease
to kill at over 30 thousand salmon in September 2002, who died before they could
reproduce. Some of the guides here call this the “fish kill year,” and many
anglers feared the worst for the fishery. In the years that followed however
anglers reported strong numbers of salmon continuing to return to the river.
Exactly five years after the “fish kill” we thought it would be a good time to
see just how the Klamath fished.
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Gary pilots
the drift boat as the sun begins to rise |
The Fish:
Salmon reign supreme on the Klamath and are the most caught fish both in numbers
and size. The fishing is best during the Fall, and at this time it is possible
to get into the occasional steelhead. If you fish near the coast like we did it
is less than a mile in from the mouth and the Kings are fresh from the ocean,
and in great shape to provide some serious fight on light tackle. The average
King weighs between 10-20lbs, but it is possible to get into a fish well over
30lbs.
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We drift
fish with roe and "Fish Pills" |
The Steelhead, while
generally smaller and caught in less numbers, are still prevalent in the
Klamath, and anglers can still catch the sporadic wild and hatchery trophy class
fish. Even more rare are the
Coho salmon which do still come to the Klamath but can not be taken and are
listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
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The fish on
the Klamath fight hard, and you just never know if you will get into a
salmon or a angry steelhead |
Head to the coast:
We wanted to get into the freshest fish possible so we head to the mouth where
the river empties into the Pacific Ocean. Here we would begin and fish inland up
the river. The town of Klamath is a small town perched along both the river’s
edge and the coastline. It is a 7 hour drive from the San Francisco bay Area and
the closest large towns are Eureka to the South, and Crescent City to the North.
Accommodations in the town are not exactly four-star, but they certainly get the
job done.
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Landed! |
There are two motels in particular that stand out, Ravenwood is about ten
minutes from the launch ramp and has fisherman friendly features like extra
parking for boats, outside picnic areas, and even a fish freezer and the
Steelhead lodge is just up from the Terwer ramp where all the local guides
launch, and is also conveniently located adjacent the town’s tackle shop.
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Cal is ready
to roll to the next spot |
Get yourself a Good Guide:
There are a number of ways to fish the Klamath, which include of-roading to
various points to either fly or spin fish, using a drift boat, or hiring a guide
with a jet boat. The Klamath has a rocky bottom and when flows are low the river
can do a real number on outboard props, so guides with jetboats can more easily
get you into the best fishing spots, many of which can only be otherwise
accessed by drift boat. If it is your first trip to the Klamath we highly
recommend getting a good guide. The flow conditions on the Klamath are ever
changing, and odds are you are traveling some distance to fish the river, and a
guide will vastly improve your chances of both getting into and landing salmon
or that trophy steelhead.
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A deeper
pool, and a slower flow |
If you prefer to fly fish
over drifting roe the Klamath is far enough from major cities that you can fish
certain spots without ever seeing another fly fisherman all day. Getting to
these spots requires some off-roading, but nothing too hard core. There are
plenty of areas suitable for wading, but the Klamath can be slippery so make
sure to pack a boot with spikes and a wading stick for safety. Most fly
fishermen target steelhead on the Klamath, and work the mouths of creeks, holes,
and riffles, all of which can hold trophy class fish. As with bait fishing we
recommend that on your first trip out to hire a guide with a drift boat.
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A 12lb
Steelhead landed early in the morning |
For our trip we called on
Gary Hix, who has guided on both the Klamath and Smith rivers for the better
part of a decade. Gary specializes in both fly and bait fishing, and runs a
Willie drift boat on the Smith, which has restrictions against gas power, and a
North River jetboat on the Klamath.
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Anglers
employing the Boondogging roe technique |
Next Section:
What tackle to bring to Klamath
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