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B Kane
08-11-2012, 12:27 PM
Just back from Klamath Lake and our clubs annual fishout. We stay at Rocky Point Resort and had a great time. Compared to California campgrounds this place is the Hilton. Campsites with water and electricity are only $28 and night and $8 to keep your boat in the dock overnight. Regular campsite are even cheaper. The restrooms are clean and the operators are very friendly and helpful. Cabins are also available as are boat and kayak rentals. Check them out at there website.

The fishing was a little tougher this year but still great. I know alot of your are not interested in numbers and size so diregard the stats. I fished five days and landed 46 fish. Nine were over five pounds which included two fives, two sixes, a six and half, a seven, an eight and eight and a half and the largest just a tad over ten. I weighed all of the fish in the net with my chatillion scale. You have to put a lot of time in per fish. I fish from 5:30 till 9:30 with about an hour for lunch and because I'm older, a short nap. The catch rate per hour is pretty low but well worth it when you can catch such huge fish. It's quite amazing that the fishing pressure is so low considering that Klamath Lake has the largest native rainbows in the lower US in public water. I'm probably ruining the fishery but the nice folks at Rocky Point could use a little more business. I think a lot of fishermen don't frequent the lake because you do have to put some time in to get rewarded but figureing out what works occasionally is half the fun. The wind is probably the most important factor in success, the more the better, as is getting out early and staying late. Damsels, leeches and midges caught the majority of the fish. The intermediate camo line, a type two, a type four and a floater were used at various times. The majority of the fish were caught on the intermediate and the floater.

Thanks to Gordon Langenbeck for the information on the migration of the fish to Pelican Bay.

The weather was pleasant and mosquitoes tolerable, the no see-ums killed me the first evening so I wore long pants the rest of the time. I seem to forget that every year.

OceanSunfish
08-16-2012, 10:35 PM
Very informative report. Thanks for sharing. What size rods would you recommend for that lake and size fish?

As for the no-see-ums...... nasty little buggers. I looked at one under a microscope once and they are literally all teeth. I thought I was looking at a cartoon at first.... funny.

jbird
08-17-2012, 03:32 AM
A 6wt rod is ideal for Klamath. The gnats come out in August. In normal years the fishing gets good in early July so July is the prime month for good fishing with no "nasty bities"

B Kane
08-17-2012, 07:03 AM
A 5 or 6 wt is what I use. The fish average 3 pounds, anything between 5and 6 is a nice fish and 8 and up is great. There have been many fish over 10 caught this year. The number for Rocky Point Resort is (541) 356-2287. It's a full service resort with cabins, full hook-ups, camp sites and clean showers and bath rooms. They have a small store for ice and ice cream and a decent restaurant,check the open days. You can catch fish right off the dock. One of the springs is easy casting distance from the deck of the dock but bring a boat or pontoon to reach more fish. Prey for wind.

OceanSunfish
08-17-2012, 09:18 PM
Prey for wind.

If you seek wind, just take me with you!

It is a given that whenever/wherever i fish, there is wind! I.g., the delta, Davis Lake, Monterey Bay, etc....

Langenbeck
08-17-2012, 09:24 PM
BKane: I would not worry about Klamath/Agency getting too popular because:
There is a one fish limit
Who would keep one of these big fish full of cocopods.
No shore angling, all with a watercraft
You must pay your dues and it takes a long time to figure things out.
This fishery is all about water temperature. A hot spot today will hold no fish five days later because of water temperature/algae bloom.

Having said that I think it is the best public fishery for 4-10 pound fish. To me I learn something new every time. What really gets you is on a dead calm day in Pelican Bay you can see 200 or more trout breaking the surface and NEVER touch a fish.

B Kane
08-18-2012, 07:53 AM
I'm a newbie fishing this lake(4th year), andI do learn something every year. The wind can be the difference between a zero fish day and a 30 fish day. I've never been skunked but have come really close a couple of times. If you like challenges then fishing here on a windless day with hundreds of fish in front of you, this is the place. I know a lot of guys that only fish here once and never come back.Gordon is right on with his evaluation of this fishery.