Klamath River spit Chinook fishery closed after hitting its quota

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife closed the spit fishery at the mouth of the Klamath River at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. The agency’s Aug. 28 news release said projections showed anglers would meet the spit-area adult fall-run Chinook quota — 15 percent of the total Klamath River Basin recreational allocation for fish caught below the Highway 101 bridge.

The closed water is the spit itself: within 100 yards of the channel through the sand spit at the river mouth, downstream of the Highway 101 bridge near the town of Klamath. That pocket stays closed for the rest of the 2026 season. The rest of the estuary below the bridge, and other sections of the Klamath and Trinity, remain open until their own quotas are met.

This is the first fall harvest season on the Klamath since 2022. Hitting a spit quota this early is the kind of problem the North Coast has not had in years — fish are moving, and the report card matters. Anyone targeting salmon on the Klamath or Trinity needs a 2026 North Coast Salmon Report Card and must record harvest and release in real time. Quota status for open and closed sections: CDFW hotline (800) 564-6479.

Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (public domain via Wikimedia Commons).

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

Source: CDFW, “CDFW Announces Angling Closure at the Mouth of the Klamath River” (Aug. 28, 2026). Context: Active NorCal, Sept. 2, 2026.