Klamath River Mouth Spit Fishery Closing After Salmon Quota Is Reached

California salmon anglers need to pay attention on the lower Klamath. The spit fishery at the mouth of the river is closing to angling at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2, and it will stay closed for the rest of the 2026 season.

CDFW says recreational fall-run Chinook harvest projections show anglers will meet the spit-area adult salmon quota. That quota is 15 percent of the total Klamath River Basin recreational allocation for fish caught below the Highway 101 bridge. Once that trigger is hit, the closure kicks in.

The closure applies within 100 yards of the channel through the sand spit formed at the Klamath River mouth, downstream of the Highway 101 bridge near the town of Klamath. Anglers can track quota status for open and closed sections of the Klamath and Trinity rivers through CDFW’s hotline at 800-564-6479.

This is why harvest reporting and quota rules matter. If we want salmon seasons at all, the numbers have to mean something. You can support legal harvest and still accept that a quota closure is part of managing a pressured run.

CDFW also reminded salmon anglers on the Klamath and Trinity that they must carry a 2026 North Coast Salmon Report Card and fill it out in real time for harvest and release. Do it right, keep it legal, and do not give anti-harvest voices easy ammunition.