The Williamson River

The Williamson River is truly the gem of Southern Oregon . For most Blue Ribbon rivers in the west a twenty in Rainbow on a fly is considered a trophy. A twenty inch Redband Trout on the Williamson is the norm! The Williamson River is a spring fed river that runs into the largest fresh water lake in Oregon , Upper Klamath Lake . The lake is large, but shallow and her waters warm quickly forcing large Redband Trout to migrate, like there cousin the Steelhead, into cooler waters. The Williamson River is one of the rivers that feed the lake and serves as a sanctuary for migrating Williamson River Redband Trout. This is where we like to spend our summers, chasing these gargantuan trophies using a variety of techniques; from swing leech imitations through the many deep pools or dead drifting nymphs through riffles.

The Wood River

The Wood River is a spring creek that bubbles out of the ground at the base of Crater Lake. The river meanders 18 miles through pasture land, tulles and willows (lined with grasshoppers in the late summer) before dumping into to Upper Klamath Lake. The cool waters of the Wood provide a sanctuary for Redband trout that migrate out of shallower warmer waters of Klamath Lake into this little spring fed river. The Wood also hosts a robust population of resident Browns that grow to trophy size. There are few things (that my wife would allow me to write about) that can get my heart thumping like watching a 20” Brown trout absolutely destroy a hopper pattern. From July-September this is what the Wood River can offer you. From April-July we target these large Browns and Redband by swinging large leech patterns underneath cut-banks with sink-tip lines. No matter your choice, I can guarantee a relaxing day with some truly spectacular scenery which will be almost as breathtaking as the fish you catch!

Upper Klamath Lake

Upper Klamath Lake, located east of the cascade in Southern Oregon, is a Stillwater Fly fisherman's paradise. Klamath Lake is the largest freshwater lake West of the Rockies at nearly 20 miles long and 8 miles wide in places, with an average depth of 8 feet. The depth of the lake is key factor in understanding this fishery. At such a shallow depth, the lake warms very quickly in the late spring and early summer. These shallow, fertile waters become an incubator for a huge variety of aquatic life (leeches, minnows, midges, scuds, damsels, and mayflies), allowing the native Redband to grow faster and live longer than most other trout. What does this mean for fishermen? Big fish and lots of them!  The warming of the water also triggers a migration of fish from the main lake into the upper reaches; where several cooler, spring fed rivers, creeks and springs enter the lake. We target these massive Redbands in Pelican Bay, the mouth of the Wood River and the mouth of the Williamson River using intermediate lines with leech or minnow patterns. If you are a Stillwater enthusiast, or would like to catch a 5 to 10 pound trout on a fly rod then the Upper Klamath Lake had better be on your bucket list!

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