Lower Klamath: adult Chinook quota met; jack-only below Hwy 96

Kenny Priest’s Sept. 17, 2026 North Coast report is the on-the-water follow to the lower-river adult close. He says the recreational fall-run adult Chinook quota on the Klamath below the Highway 96 Bridge near Weitchpec was met Sunday, Sept. 13. That reach stays open, but only for jack Chinook — two-year-olds measuring 23 inches or less. Adults hooked there have to be released immediately.

Adult Chinook are still on the table above Weitchpec on the Klamath main stem and on the entire Trinity until those fisheries hit their own closures. Priest says the lower river is still fishing well, just more hit-or-miss than the week before, with a mix of adults and jacks, a few adult steelhead starting to show, and half-pounders scattered through the lower river.

Flows were still high for the date, about 3,200 cfs Thursday, which has kept water moving through the lower stretch. Keep a North Coast salmon report card current and check CDFW quota status before you keep a fish.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: NorCal Fish Reports — Fishing on the lower Klamath remains good (Kenny Priest, Sept. 17, 2026).