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This is a great time of year for a fall trip to the Klamath River, when anadromous salmon and steelhead make the voyage back to their birth river.
This is a great time of year for a fall trip to the Klamath River, when anadromous salmon and steelhead make the voyage back to their birth river. The mouth of the Klamath is referred to by surfers as a spot called “Food Chains.” As the river pours into the ocean, pelicans bomb schools of anchovies, salmon, sea lions and harbor seals fight for survival; and we all know the “landlord” — a great white shark — could not be too far off. Inside the river’s lagoon, the Yurok Tribe sets gill nets to capture salmon for the commercial market and subsistence use. If salmon make their way through the maze of gill nets, they begin the journey upriver. I fished the Klamath River this past weekend with my brother Joe Baxter and good friend Jimmy Davis. We made the scenic drive and stayed at Jimmy’s house in McKinleyville, also the manufacturing location for Mad River Manufacturing, where Jimmy makes and distributes his hand-crafted Fish Pills and Mad River Worms. After we toured his manufacturing plant — and drooling over shelves of fishing products — we made a plan for the next days of fishing. We fished the lower Klamath both days and had fun, but fishing was tough. A combination of low fish returns and the majority of adult salmon being caught in the nets brought on low scores. When we fished the Klamath Glen area, we managed a couple nice salmon. We had our best success drifting salmon roe and a red Fish Pill. Salmon and steelhead fishing will remain steady through the end of October. The key to success here is to time your trip during a run and follow the fish up the Klamath River and Trinity River systems. Also be sure to have a current regulation book and a Klamath salmon punch card. There are great campgrounds along both rivers and the weather is beautiful there during the fall.
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