Hello from the Klamath Basin,

Hopefully everyone had a restful winter with plenty of time spent swinging up steelhead in Northern California and Southern Oregon coast. It is that time of year to start yearning for long hot summer days, chasing wild trout, in pristine places. This time of year for me is an anxious time. All the bugs are tied, new lines are put on and the boat has been cleaned from all the muck that Winter Steelheading brings.

Klamath Basin forecast:

Water! Water! Water! We have had a good winter this year, which will be especially good for the out-migrating Redband Fry. We should have bumper populations of Redband in three years in that 18”-20” range due to the high water. Water also means that Upper Klamath Lake and Agency Lake will fish really well through July. Total Ice off took place about two weeks ago and the lake is just now starting to fish. Water tempts are hovering around 43 degrees. When that temperatures gets into the 50’s it will be on! I typically start fishing the lake heavily in the Month of May. By June I spend most of my time at in Pelican Bay and Agency Lake at the mouth of the Wood River. Fishing can be extraordinary in June and July!

The Williamson River opens on May 22^nd. The first couple of weeks after the opener can be incredible fishing. Water will be high and off color and the fish will be stacked in the riffles eating sucker eggs. I spend a lot of my time nymphing this time of year and swinging big leeches. May and June will see substantial hatches of Yellow Sally’s and Golden Stones along with the usual suspects of Mayfly and Caddis.  As the Williamson begins to drop and come into shape the lake begins to warm, sparking the first push of lake fish that migrate up the river to escape the water temperatures of the lake.  Typically we see our first Hex hatch by the end of June. The Hatch will usually run through mid-July. From July through the remaining of the summer fish continue to pour into the Williamson River. 

The Wood River opens April 22nd. The water will be high this year, however resident browns can fall prey to a variety of nymphs and large Leeches swung beneath undercut banks. By June we will see the first sighting of PMD’s, BWO and a few Drakes will be coming off. As the summer progresses lake fish will migrate up the Wood River to escape the trifling water temperatures of the Lake. 

Hope to see many of you in the basin this summer enjoying the beautiful scenery and large trout!

Woody