Ask any steelheader to name a favorite drainage in the Golden State and odds are the answer will come without hesitation:  the Klamath.  Draining some 25,000 square miles, the Klamath system offers steelhead runs today reminiscent of those from decades past with prime season extending from October through  March along it’s upriver reaches.

Typically, flowing out of Iron Gate Dam at 2,000 cfs, the  Klamath River’s tea-toned currents and sharply irregular riverbed combine to create a fishery well suited to drift boat techniques. Perhaps best known for it’s run of “half-pounders” (steelhead to 16”), the upper Klamath receives impressive returns of adult steelhead to eight pounds with jaw droppers always a possibility.    The upper Klamath’s approachable size and unique, strong, returns of sea-going rainbows  combine to create an ideal destination for anglers pursuing that first or unforgettable fish.