The second largest river system in California, the Klamath River flows the entire State from East to West. From its origin in the mountains above Klamath Falls, Oregon to the Pacific Ocean, it spans a distance of 263 miles of some of the most rugged terrain California and Oregon has to offer. With the removal of 3 dams scheduled for 2016, the Klamath River’s future looks very promising. With the removal of these dams, it should encourage and help the fish population grow dramatically. It will open hundreds of miles of long lost spawning habitat that has been inhibited by these none fish passage dams.

Having a large volume of water flow all year round makes this river very special. The Spring brings warm weather and solid spring showers. The snow in the Trinity Alps and surrounding mountains starts to melt and in turn the CFS (cubic feet per second) starts to raise the river from its steady Winter levels. Around early-May the Spring Chinook (King Salmon) start running up the river.

This special run of King Salmon is short-lived and will last into early-June at the latest. Through June and into mid-July is the dormant time of the river. Around late July the summer run of Steelhead start to show up. When it reaches late-August to early-September, the Klamath is in its peak of fishing. You have the luxury of catching Steelhead and Salmon in the same day, even in the same riffles. This run will last through September and into October.