Klamath River Tribs

I was back in my old stomping grounds and spent the last couple of days fishing a few Klamath River tributaries for fall/early winter steelhead. For those not familiar with the fishery, Klamath adult steelhead are rather diminutive (on average) compared to their larger coastal cousins. What they lack in size, they more than make up with it in shear numbers and catchability. While the mainstem heals from the impacts of dam removal, the tributaries are still producing.



If you're looking for diversity, you can find it in the Klamath Watershed. Portions of the upper watershed are quite arid.



Once you're well west of the South Cascades, most of the tributaries are of the classic freestone stream variety.



I prefer swinging for fall steelhead but with cooler water temperatures (high 30's), most of the fish were hunkered down in the deeper holes. This made it a more of a bobber game. We didn't land any really large fall fish but there were plenty of the classic 20"-24" fish around.



My favorite swinging runs on the mainstem still have a layer of silt from dam removal though the high water from the past few weeks has helped push tons of it out into the Pacific. Though I didn't spend a lot of time trying, I did manage to swing up one really bright fish.



Next time I'll bring my basketball...

 

[Buzzy]

Thanks for sharing! It's really exciting to see the Klamath recovering and I had no idea about the tribs you're fishing. Very cool!!

 

[Porter2]

I was back in my old stomping grounds and spent the last couple of days fishing a few Klamath River tributaries for fall/early winter steelhead. For those not familiar with the fishery, Klamath adult steelhead are rather diminutive (on average) compared to their larger coastal cousins. What they lack in size, they more than make up with it in shear numbers and catchability. While the mainstem heals from the impacts of dam removal, the tributaries are still producing.

View attachment 135010

If you're looking for diversity, you can find it in the Klamath Watershed. Portions of the upper watershed are quite arid.

View attachment 135011

Once you're well west of the South Cascades, most of the tributaries are of the classic freestone stream variety.

View attachment 135012

I prefer swinging for fall steelhead but with cooler water temperatures (high 30's), most of the fish were hunkered down in the deeper holes. This made it a more of a bobber game. We didn't land any really large fall fish but there were plenty of the classic 20"-24" fish around.

View attachment 135014

My favorite swinging runs on the mainstem still have a layer of silt from dam removal though the high water from the past few weeks has helped push tons of it out into the Pacific. Though I didn't spend a lot of time trying, I did manage to swing up one really bright fish.

View attachment 135016

Next time I'll bring my basketball...

View attachment 135017

Might want to make that an all terrain basketball

Use to fish that area a bit. …. Williamson, Sprague, and spring creek which was mostly stockers back at the time, but damn they were all 14-20” back then and full of spunk. They fought hard. Beautiful waters with lots of clarity. Fished from a pontoon type raft boat back then or from shore. Swear my fly rod was gonna break a couple times being bent so hard and making weird structural noises. Think some glass fibers were breaking within the rod.

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[Creatch’r]

The Klamath is a special place, I’d love to go back and swing that big water again. The one time I was there I did not get to venture too far upriver since some fires had the road closed so other then the very lower river I didn’t get to see much of it. I’d love to go back.

 

[RRSmith]

The Klamath is a special place, I’d love to go back and swing that big water again. The one time I was there I did not get to venture too far upriver since some fires had the road closed so other then the very lower river I didn’t get to see much of it. I’d love to go back.

Prior to dam removal, my grandson and I liked to swing the upper Klamath between Ash Creek Bridge and Horse Creek. In late October and November, most decent looking runs held adult steelhead and multi fish days are fairly common. Maybe next fall...