Williamson River near Chiloquin “loaded” with big rainbows

Caddis Fly employee and guide Barrett Christiensen visited the Williamson River this past Friday.  He put the boat in at the public ramp in the town of Chiloquin and rowed upstream. By 8am he was swinging/stripping  small buggers, leaches and mega princes through the deep pools. As the sun rose higher and the fish showed less interest in the larger offerings. Barrett switched over to two smaller nymphs and a long leader. Dead drift indicator style fishing the riffled water leading into the pools. Numerous fish were hooked, many landed and others lost.

Even as the fly drifts out of the classic nymph looking water and heads to the deep pool, stay with it. The large rainbows of the Klamath Basin head out of the eutrophic shallow lake in summer and head up the Williamson. They sit in deep slow cold pools like their cousin steelhead of the North Umpqua. 

Barrett’s biggest fish was 27″ and many others over 20″ were landed. The Williamson is a great summer fishery. Access is good both in Chiloquin and up river near Colier Park. Give Barrett a call this Sunday for more info, or to ask him exactly how he could forgot his camera.-CD

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1 Response to Williamson River near Chiloquin “loaded” with big rainbows

  1. Matt Hayner says:

    Going to fish the Williamson in the middle of July. What are the must have patterns?

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