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Event Article:
Fishing the Klamath River |
Fishing the
Klamath River for Salmon and Steelhead with Gary Hix
(continued)
  The
Tackle: Though we did pack our Sage and Loomis 5 and 6wt. fly rods we
focused primarily on spinning gear this trip since we would be fishing for two
days out of Gary’s jetboat. Spinning gear is preferable over casting gear
because many drifts require very little weight for the optimal presentation, but
anglers with baitcasters designed for casting smaller baits can get by with a
baitcaster, just make sure it has enough line capacity to deal with a 20lb
Salmon if you are lucky to hook into one.
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Cal and Gary
work a side drift along a ledge |
Because the fish here are
medium in size 12lb mono tipped with 10lb fluorocarbon is a good way to go. For
spinning reels a 3000 or 4000 size reel will have enough power, drag, and
capacity to deal with both salmon and steelhead. Shore anglers will want longer
rods but out of a boat a 7’6” or 7’9” medium rod with a flexible tip and
reasonably powerful butt section is ideal for both casting and fighting fish. A
number of manufacturers specialize in these type of rods, and when we polled the
guides on the Klamath they preferred Rogue Rods, G.Loomis, and Lamiglas (in that
order).
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The fall
colors on the river were absolutely stunning... |
The Fishing: The
town of Klamath is perched on a ridge overlooking the mouth of the river as it
empties into the Pacific. As I mentioned earlier, the town doesn’t have much in
terms of conveniences, but it does have a rugged charm to it, and the whole town
seems centered on the river itself. We rested for a few hours at the Ravenwood
Motel before driving to the Terwer launch ramp to meet our guide, Gary. With the
river still clouded in darkness we set out in Gary’s jetboat nine miles upstream
to get into some deeper water. The area we fished would still only be six to
nine feet in depth.
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...as was
the view over the mouth of the Klamath near sunset |
If you haven’t ridden in a
jetboat your missing out. These aluminum boats are like tanks, able to plow over
rocks and guides routinely beach the boats against sand bars and rocks. The
Klamath has many areas with only six inches of water, and Gary navigated these
short areas by building momentum and plowing right over them. At times we could
hear stones assault the bottom of the jetboat as it bounced over the rocky
minefield.
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Gary plows
the jetboat over a shallow riffle |
We started side drifting
in which you cast roe parallel to the boat and the bank and allow it to drift at
the same rate as the flow. We added a “Fish Pill” to the roe to give the bait
some more buoyancy, and a small slinky weight above the fluorocarbon leader to
get the bait down. Slinkys work just fine for light to medium structure, but if
the drift is very slow or there is a ton of structure larger ball weights are a
better choice.
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Cal holds
out the rod to prevent the line from getting cut by the boat as a Salmon
goes right under |
On the very first drift I
landed a trophy steelhead, just over 12lbs in weight. The fish went aerial twice
as I reeled it in, and the drag on the new Shimano Stradic I was fishing sung a
chorus on this fish. “Good way to start the day,” Gary said, “we drift just like
this all day and we are into them.”
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Zander rests
as Gary moves further upriver |
In the next few hours Cal
and I endured heartbreak after heartbreak as we hooked into our share of fish,
but lost all of them due to poor sets or pure misfortune. Gary did everything he
could to put us on fish and we started mixing up our techniques moving from side
drifting roe to boondogging (also known as dragging) our roe. “Shift out the
Slinkys,” Gary said as he handed us much longer weights, “were going to try and
get into them a little harder.” Sometimes the most subtle changes can make all
the difference, and Gary’s knowledge of the river made all the difference.
Within minutes we were back into fish, and starting landing more 10-12lb King
Salmon.
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Gary with
one of the Kings caught on day two |
We had one fight that
lasted over five minutes, this particular fish just refused to get into the boat
and did donuts around the boat as we tried time and time again to extend our
reach and net the fish. After a few minutes we basically ran out of river and
began to drift down fast flowing riffles. I continued to fight the fish as Gary
lifted the kicker and maneuvered the boat with the big engine. Once we dropped
into calm water the salmon finally ran out of fight as Cal netted the fish and
the hook popped right off the fish’s lip! Close one! Truth be told, it took me
another five minutes just to calm down after the fight.
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This buck
did a real number on us, and took us over a riffle as we landed him |
The Best Time to come:
In between fishing we took time to absorb the sights of the river. The fall
colors were in and unlike many rivers the Klamath still feels wild, and there is
plenty of native wildlife to constantly remind you of that fact. The river is
still home to bears, feral cows, and even bald eagles. If you are coming to the
Klamath to soak in the sights each season offers a unique opportunity to explore
nature, but if you are coming here to fish the prime time for Salmon is June
through July, and September through November.
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Gary and
Zander after a successful day on the Klamath |
If you are targeting
Steelhead the hottest time is from November through March. The first rain in any
period improves the steelhead fishing. The mouth also has a lot to do with how
hot the fishing is. At times the mouth can be nearly closed up completely by
sand on the coast. When a storm comes through or flows reach a peak the mouth
can blow open and thousands of fish waiting just outside the beachhead come
rushing in. On days like these anglers routinely get into double digit Salmon.
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Zander snaps
a picture of the sunset at Klamath before heading back to San Francisco |
Conclusion: I can
still hear the drag “sing” from the Steelhead that took my line on that first
drift in the Klamath, and it is likely something I will never forget. The
Klamath is a picturesque river, one filled with history, and though the river
has endured a few hardships the fish have endured. During our trip we never did
get into the monster salmon, but there were other anglers on the river that day
that did land fish just shy of 20lbs. The fish fight hard in the river, harder
than the larger ones I have caught in the ocean. Perhaps it is the added
excitement of fighting fish on light tackle, or trying to land fish as your boat
rolls down riffles, or maybe it’s the spawning instinct that takes over salmon
as they swim upstream that gives them more fight. Whatever it is the Klamath is
a “must fish” river for any angler in California, and is even worth driving to
if you reside in any of the surrounding states. I can now cross the Klamath off
my list of “must fish” waters, but you can bet I’ll be back. Now I hear the
Smith River just and hour north of the Klamath is even more picturesque and is
home to even bigger fish. Looks like it is time to prep the truck yet again…
Road Trip!
Looking for a guide for
the Klamath or the Smith River?
Contact Gary Hix (707) 954-1004, or via
email and tell him you want the TackleTour treatment.
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