Steel on the Klamath

[MHeuch]

Fished last week on the lower Klamath upriver of Klamath Glen.
There were reports of the mouth sanding over. On Tue, after the rains, it looked open a bit from the Requa viewpoint, but I don't have a reference as to what is normal. The river flows did bump a bit to 3600 cfs and the water temps dropped to ~64F. Perfect timing for us.

20777

Caught 2 steelhead it 3 days plus four 1/2 pounders and a half-dozen 8 inchers.
My friend caught 4 steelhead. It was a good trip for us.

Mark H.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Did you go with a guide?

Sounds like a good trip.



Jet boat flyfishing guides for the lower Klamath River:



Confluence Outfitters:

https://www.confluenceoutfitters.com/guide-team.aspx



Jason Hartwick:

https://steelheadonthespey.wordpress.com/contact/




The wading on the lower river is much easier than the middle to upper river.

[MHeuch]

I went with a friend from S. Oregon. (his boat)
I did attend Gino's Klamath Spey camp back in 2019.

I should add; I was worried that with the dams removed and the rain
that the water would become muddy, but it remained very clear through the end of the week.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Over the years, I saw people with jet boats camping on the lower river in certain spots.





I heard Gino actually bought that property they use for the Spey camp.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvAl7dejg5A

[John H]

Thanks for the report. It is good to hear there is clear water and fish were caught. I have not been there for maybe five years. I used to fish with Mario Gomez one day and then on my own for a couple days but Mario moved to Montana so I need a new plan when I go back.

[Jeff F]

Nice fish Mark. And thanks for the report.

We were up on the river, near Orleans, for a few days a couple weeks ago (9/25-9/28). Conditions were very normal with good flows, temps, and visibility. There were lots of fish moving through, steelhead and salmon. Half-pounders were splashing everywhere and big salmon rolling and jumping. We fished our normal spots, with our normal go-to flies, but the fish just were not grabby for some reason. It was quite befuddling and frustrating. Got a couple hp's and did manage a good fish of around 4lbs, but definitely didn't get the numbers I was used to. Usually the fish are very willing to grab, but not this time.

That being said, it was awesome to see the numbers of fish coming up the river, and the quality river conditions post-dam removal. The future looks bright for the Klamath.

~Jeff

[Al Baltz]

It is good to hear that the K is getting clearer and that there are fish.
I've found the Streamtime Map of the Klamath to be very useful for DIY access spots. I'm on my second copy, having worn out the first.

Good luck