It's official: New CV and Klamath River Fishing Regulations for 2015

The California Fish and Game Commission adopted changes to the Central Valley and Klamath River basin salmon sport fishing regulations for the 2015 season on Friday, April 17. The changes include fall-run Chinook quotas, bag and possession limits, and restrictions at the mouth of the Klamath River (spit area) and in the main stem Klamath River in the vicinity of Blue Creek. The only change to the Central Valley regulations is an increase in the possession limit from two to four salmon. All other Central Valley regulations remain unchanged from last year.

The Klamath basin sport fishing quota for adult fall-run Chinook salmon is 14,133 fish. This represents a 250 percent increase over last year’s salmon quota and allowed for an increase in daily bag limit. The daily bag limit for fall-run Chinook salmon is three fish, no more than two adults (greater than 22 inches) and the possession limit is nine fall-run Chinook salmon, no more than six adults. The 2015 sport fishing season for fall-run Chinook salmon will run from Aug. 15 through Dec. 31 on the Klamath River and Sept. 1 through Dec. 31 on the Trinity River.

The Commission adopted two new restrictions for Klamath anglers, one recommended by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) in regard to the spit area and one in the main stem Klamath near Blue Creek recommended by the Yurok Tribe. The new spit area restriction limits anglers to “catch and keep” for all legally caught Chinook salmon. Additionally, once anglers have retained two adult Chinook salmon greater than 22 inches or their total daily bag limit they must cease fishing in the spit area.

The Commission reviewed two key proposals for Blue Creek. CDFW’s, which requested a joint focused study to determine hook and release mortality in the Blue Creek area and the Yurok Tribe proposal to implement a conservation closure. The Commission selected the Yurok Tribe proposal to close all non-tribal sports fishing in the Blue Creek area from June 15 through Sept. 14 from ½ mile below to 500 feet above the confluence of Blue Creek and the Klamath River. From Sept. 15 through Dec. 31 the closure is 500 feet above and below Blue Creek. The Commission adopted the proposal as a conservation measure.

The Klamath fall-run Chinook quota is subdivided into sub quota areas within the basin.   The lower Klamath River (mouth to Weitchpec) will receive 50 percent (7,067 fish) of the quota, the upper Klamath River (upstream of Weitchpec) will receive 17 percent (2,403 fish) of the quota and the remaining 33 percent (4,663 fish) is allocated to the Trinity River, split between the lower (Trinity confluence to Cedar Flat) and upper Trinity (upstream of Cedar Flat). The mouth of the Klamath River (spit area) will receive an allocation of 2,120 adult fall-run Chinook which is inclusive of the lower Klamath River sub area quota.

Source: https://cdfgnews.wordpress.com/2015/04/21/fish-and-game-commission-adopts-central-valley-and-klamath-river-in-river-sport-fishing-regulations/

Comments from another site included, "Guides aren't going to like the Blue Creek changes."

I'm not the typical guide...  I applaud the changes there, and I feel that maybe the spit regulations haven't gone far enough.

Looking forward to a few days on the big K later in the summer and would love to guide NCKA members up there.

Thanks for posting this, Chris.   

 Spit reg changes are great.  Finally, snagging has been acknowledged and will be allowed but limits strictly enforced and no more snagging 12 adult fish and sending them tumbling down the bank before catching your jack.

Blue creek changes are good too.

So eric, when is the iron gate to the mouth fish & float on the K?

Thanks for the Big K fishing update Chris.

So eric, when is the iron gate to the mouth fish & float on the K?

I'm thinking more like "Glen to Blue Creek Overnighter" - paddle up, fish, camp, drift back down the next day.

I'm actually kinda surprised by the blowback the Blue Creek closure is receiving.  Similar to you Eric, I've read comments claiming "there's no science to back it up," "they just want to shut down all sport fishing," etc.

Last year is a good indicator of what's going to happen again this season.  Last year, hundreds upon hundreds of both Chinook and steelhead kegged themselves up at the mouth of Blue Creek because the mainstem Klamath was hotter than hell.  Guys were up there fishing and having heydays: I talked to a guide who fishes the Klamath every season, and he said guys were catching 30-50 fish a day at the mouth of Blue Creek.  Sure, the majority of those fish were released.  But the survival rate for released salmonids in water as hot as the Klamath was last summer is mediocre at best.  So even if a guy released 40 fish, you could expect at least 20 of those to be dead within a few minutes of release.

Now look at this year.  We thought last year was bad?  This year is going to be even worse!  And who knows if we'll even get those last-minute Trinity Reservoir releases that bailed out the K-T runs the last several years.  Anyone thinking that it's a good idea to allow what happened at the Blue Creek mouth last year to occur this year, in a year that will be even more taxing on those fish than before, is not concerned about the long-term prospects for the Klamath fishery.

Anyone thinking that it's a good idea to allow what happened at the Blue Creek mouth last year to occur this year, in a year that will be even more taxing on those fish than before, is not concerned about the long-term prospects for the Klamath fishery.

Agreed.  Let's hope we don't see things get worse than last year.