The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has announced that recreational fishing for adult, fall-run Chinook salmon on the Klamath River has reopened between Interstate 5 near Hornbrook and 3,500-feet below the Iron Gate Fish Hatchery in Siskiyou County.

The Iron Gate Fish Hatchery has received more than 8,000 returning, fall-run Chinook salmon this month, which triggers the reopening of recreational fishing for adult Chinook salmon within the stretch of river per CDFW’s 2022-2023 California Supplemental Sport Fishing Regulations (PDF)(opens in new tab).

Recreational anglers will be able to harvest two Chinook salmon, but no more than one adult greater than 23 inches per day in this reach. The possession limit is six Chinook salmon with no more than three adults. Reopening this stretch of the Klamath River is designed to allow anglers to catch surplus hatchery Chinook salmon now that the number of adults needed for spawning has been achieved at the hatchery.

The only other sector of the Klamath-Trinity rivers that remain open for adult Chinook salmon harvest is the lower Trinity River from the Denny Road bridge at Hawkins Bar downstream to the confluence with the Klamath River. The take of jack Chinook salmon less than or equal to 23 inches is allowed in all areas of the Klamath Basin with the exception of the mouth of the Klamath River, which is closed for the remainder of the year. The daily bag limit for jack Chinook salmon in these areas is two fish per day and no more than six in possession.

Anglers can monitor the quota status of open and closed sections of the Klamath and Trinity rivers by calling CDFW’s information hotline at (800) 564-6479.

For more information regarding Klamath River fishing regulations, please consult CDFW’s 2022-2023 California Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations and the 2022-2023 California Supplemental Sport Fishing Regulations available at wildlife.ca.gov/regulations.