Williamson River Fly Fishing Report: 01/10/24 (bottom of page)
Fly and Gear ordering and delivery: We can get flies to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Please see the bottom of this column for ordering options.
We also have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes. They make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Type of Stream
Spring Creek
Species
Rainbow Trout (Redband) Wild
Brown Trout (Wild)
Brook Trout (Wild)
Size
Small to Medium
Location
Southwestern Oregon
Nearest Towns
Chiloquin
Klamath Falls
Season
May 22 through Oct. 31
Access:
Poor
Non-Resident License
State of Oregon
USGS Stream Level: Below Sprague River:
Weather
National Weather Service
Season:
The season is last Saturday of April through October
Spring:
The Spring season starts off with good fishing. Summer:
Summertime is the best time for fly
fishing the Williamson River.
Fall:
Early Fall is good for the brown trout
which spawn in the Fall as well as the big migratory Redband rainbows.
Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
4, 5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 to 12 ft., 5 or 6X Nymphing:
71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X
Tippets:
Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X,
Streamer 0-2X
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly Supreme Four, Superb Five
or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 4/5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Fly and Gear ordering and delivery:
Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
Copyright 2016 James Marsh
Fly Fishing the Williamson River, Oregon:
The Williamson River is about a 100 miles long river that together with its major tributary, the Sprague River, provides more than half of the flow into Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon’s largest freshwater lake. Fly fishing the Williamson River puts you in the same water as large wild rainbow trout that move into the river to spawn and to escape the warm summer water of Upper Klamath Lake. Smaller numbers of brown trout also thrive in the Williamson, especially below Spring Creek. Smaller rainbow trout and brook trout are present above Klamath Marsh.
Much of the land along the river is privately owned so public access is limited. There are some areas of public access pointed out in the fishing guide below.
The Williamson originates from a large spring on the north side of Fuego Mountain in the Winema National Forest. It flows through the mountains and then through Klamath Marsh in the Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge. U. S. Route #97 flows roughly parallel to the river downstream of the refuge. It picks up Spring Creek at Collier Memorial State Park. The Sprague River joins it before flowing into the norther end of Upper Kamath Lake.
The Williamson River is a slow flowing river and stays much cooler than the shallow Klamath and Agency Lakes. Fish move into the river as the lakes warms adding to the already large population of resident trout.
Fishing the lower river is mostly all done from drift boats and pontoon type rafts. Most wading is done in the upper sections of the river.
The spring fed Williamson River is known for its huge Redband rainbow trout. Fly fishing the Williamson River can be a true trophy fishing trip. There are plenty of large resident brown trout that also grow to big sizes.
This stream has an abundant amount of aquatic insects, including a big population of Black Drakes. Mayflies, caddisflies and terrestrial insects are plentiful.
There’s a combination of clear water and huge, wary trout in the Williamson River and therefore, a reputation as a difficult and technical stream to fish. Your presentations need to be near perfect and you must stay hidden from the trout. Perfect Flies will help you fool the wary trout because they are simi-realistic and according to our many Williamson River customers, out produce all other trout flies.
Williamson River Fly Fishing Guide:
The Williamson River is one of the best of the Klamath Basin rivers. The spring fed river has a very high pH that keeps the stream full of aquatic insects and other trout foods and the trout big. Giant rainbows are common in the Williamson River. Eighteen to twenty inch native Redband Rainbow are common. It is truly a trophy trout river.
The Williamson River is a slow moving, slick flowing, calm river. As the shallow lakes warm, the fish move into the Williamson River, increasing the resident trout numbers.
Most all the trout fishing is done from drift boats and rafts. Fishing on the lower river is almost exclusively done from boats. You can wade parts of the upper section. Of course, you can also float and wade the river.
The Upper Williamson River is one of the finest spring creeks in Oregon. The land surrounding the river is mostly all private and mostly controlled by private ranches. The river winds back and forth, meandering through a series of oxbows. Undercut banks provide the most cover for the fish. There are both wild rainbows and brook trout.
Casting skill and stealth are critically important in most situations. The best approach to fishing the Williamson is by floating it in a boat or canoe.
Conflicting currents make getting a drag-free drift difficult, yet you must accomplish that. The trout are use to seeing plenty of aquatic insects and unnatural drifts will spook them.
Staying hidden is also a big problem and tougher when your fishing from a boat. You have to stay low in the boat and make longer cast than normal. That doubles the complexity of getting a good drift. Your fly must drift at the same speed as the current. This includes subsurface and surface (dry)flies.
Matching the hatch, if one is occurring, is very important. Matching what’s most plentiful and available for the trout to eat at other times is just as important.
Often, streamers that imitate baitfish and sculpin work best. They also tend to produce the larger size trout. The key is being able to change strategies, techniques and tactic with the changing conditions.
Williamson River Hatches and
Trout Flies:
Our information on aquatic insects is based on our stream samples of larvae and nymphs, not guess work. We base fly suggestions on imitating the most plentiful and most available insects and other foods at the particular time you are fishing. Unlike the generic fly shop trout flies, we have specific imitations of all the insects in the Deschutes River and in all stages of life that are applicable to fishing. If you want to fish better, more realistic trout flies, have a much higher degree of success, give us a call. We not only will help you with selections, you will learn why, after trying Perfect Flies, 92% of the thousands of our customers will use nothing else. 1-800-594-4726.
Blue-winged Olives hatch in March and April and September and October. There are several species including Baetis. This hatch is always best on cloudy, overcast and rainy days.
Pale Morning Dun mayflies represent the largest population of mayflies. The hatch in May, June and July. June is the best month for the PMD hatches. Look for morning spinner falls and hatches.
Pale Evening Duns are also plentiful but not as much as the PMDs. These mayflies live in the faster water and hatch from May through June.
Gray Drakes are in several areas of the Williamson River. They live in the soft bottom most of the year and hatch in June. This isn’t a big hatch but can be important if you happen to catch it right.
You will see the large Great Olive Wing Duns (Hexigenia species) hatching in July. These mayflies bring up some big trout. The spinner fall is the highlight of the hatch and it occurs near dark but trout can be taken on the nymphs, emergers and duns as well.
Tricos hatch during late July and August. These little mayflies hatch in huge numbers and of course, are tough to imitate well. Done right, however, they can produce some good catches. The highlight of the Trico hatch is the spinner falls.
There are several species of caddisflies and they represent some of the best hatches. There are several species of net-spinning caddis called Spotted Sedges and some Little Sister Caddis. They range in hook size from a 16 to a 18.
There are also some Black Dancers that hatch in August but only in certain areas. Green Sedges hatch in June but trout can be taken on their larva (rock worms) anytime of the season.
Scuds are also plentiful and represent a large part of the trout’s diet. Imitations work during the entire season.
Sculpin and baitfish are plentiful and streamers that imitate them often produce the largest fish. Fish them anytime you have low light situations like early morning, late afternoons and cloudy, rainy days.
Terrestrials are very plentiful on the banks of the Williamson River. Imitations of Carpenter ants, beetles, mostly Japanese Beetles, and grass hoppers work best in July,August and
sometimes, early September.
Fishing Report Headlines Archive:
Current Williamson River Fishing Report
01/24/20 The stream levels are just a little above normal levels and the water clear. There are some large trout being caught by one of our customers. Few are fishing but more should be.
02/23/2020 Stream levels remain below normal levels and there is a clear week ahead after the rain ends today. There are still some good hatches and our customers continue to send in good reports.
03/07/20 The river is still turning out trout even though the weather has been lousy. This coming week should be better as the weather and water warms.
05/16/20 The hatches are multiple and dry fly fishing very good. It is in fact, as good as it gets. I hope you get the opportunity to fish it.
06/13/20 Conditions continue to be very good. There are multiple hatches and dry fly fishing has been very good.
06/26/20 The stream levels are much lower than normal and you need to use extra caution to not spook the trout and to make good presentations. We are still getting good reports from customers.
07/21/20 Conditions remain very good. We continue to get good reports from customers
fishing the river. There are lots of insects hatching.
07/29/20 We continue to get good reports from customers fishing the river. There are still a lot of hatching insects and terrestrial imitations are working as well.
08/04/20 The river is in good shape in all respects. Trout are being caught by our customers in good numbers. There are some good hatches still taking place and terrestrial imitations are also working.
08/20/20 Conditions remain very good. The stream is near a normal level and clear. There are multiple hatches taking place. Our customers continue to send in some very good reports.
09/16/20 An excellent choice for anglers. There are still a lot of insects hatching and our
terrestrial patterns are producing well.
10/04/20 The river is still in very good shape. There are some good hatches taking place and you should be able to catch plenty trout.
03/18/20 Season closes first day of November. Send us an email and let us help you plan that next trip.
05/02/21 The season is open and the fly fishing great. We are getting good reports from customers. There are Blue-winged olives, Pale Morning duns, Pale Evening duns, spotted and green sedge caddis and Mahogany duns hatching. Scuds and Sculpin streamers are also working.
05/11/22 Conditions remain excellent. We are getting some very good reports from customers. There are good numbers and sizes of trout being caught. Send us an email or call us for a recommended fly and gear list.
05/20/21 The conditions are still very good. We still are getting some good reports from customers catching good numbers and sizes of trout. There are some mega hatches taking place and dry fly fishing is very good as well as morning nymphs.
05/28/21 The river is flowing at a low level but we are still getting good reports from customers. There are a lot of insects hatching. Call or email us for a recommended fly list.
06/06/21 The river is still low but wed continue to get some good reports on trout. Stay low and as hidden as possible.
06/17/21 The stream is still low but it doesn’t seem to affect the “catching” that much thanks to the good hatches. Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations.
07/02/21 The river is still in good shape with lots of hatching insects. We continue to get good catch reports from our customers. Terrestrials like our carpenter ants, Japanese beetles and hoppers are also working good.
07/14/21 The stream is still in good shape. We continue to get good reports from customers. There are good hatches and terrestrial imitations are working.
07/20/21 Conditions remain good and we continue to get good reports from customers.
07/28/21 The upper sections of the spring creek are turning out good numbers of trout for our customers. There are good hatches and our terrestrial patterns are working.
08/05/21 Good hatches continue to take place and our terrestrial imitations are working good. We continue to get good reports from customers.
08/15/21 The continue to get good reports from customers. There are good hatches taking place.
08/23/21 The river is still in good shape turning out good catches for our customers. Good hatches continue to take place. Our terrestrial patterns of ants, hoppers and beetles are also working.
08/31/21 More good reports come in the past week from customers. Lots of caddis and some mayflies are hatching.
09/10/21 The river is still producing some good catches for our customers. Good hatches continue to take place.
09/18/21 The stream is in good shape with some very good hatches. There are lots of BWOs, spotted sedge caddis, little sister caddis, and other insects.
09/27/21 Conditions remain good. We are getting some good reports. Good hatches continue to occur.
10/10/21 We received three good reports from customers this past week. Good fall hatches continue.
10/20/21 More good reports have come in from customers. Good BWO, midge, spotted sedge caddis and other hatches continue to take place.
11/01/21 The season ended at the end of October.
12/01/21 Give us a call or email us to help you plan that next seasons trip.
12/26/21 The season will open May 22nd. Let us help you plan that next trip.
01/19/22 It isn’t too early to start planning that next fly fishing trip. Let us help you with that. Call us at 800 594 4726 or write us at the below email address.
04/09/22 Don’t wait for the season to open to get your gear and flies ready. We known what you will be needing now. Let us help you.
05/20/22 The stream is in good shape. We are getting good reports from customers. There are Blue-winged olives, Mahogany Duns, Pale Morning duns, Pale Evening duns, spotted and green sedge caddis hatching. Scuds and Sculpin streamers are also working.
05/28/22 The stream is in very good shape with good numbers of trout being caught. Excellent hatches are taking place and dry fly fishing good.
06/11/22 Stream levels are up high. We were getting good catch reports from customers fishing it up until the recent heavy rain. Give it a little time and it should be in good shape.
06/17/22 The stream is down to just a little above normal levels and mostly clear. We received two good reports from customers fishing yesterday. There are good hatches taking place.
06/25/22 The stream is turning out some good catches of trout for our customers. Very good hatches are taking place. Shoot us an email for a recommended fly and gear list.
07/02/22 The stream is flowing just a little below normal levels and clear. We received three good reports from customers fishing the past week. Good hatches are taking place.
07/09/22 The stream is still flowing just a little below normal level and clear. We received three more good reports from customers. Excellent hatches are taking place and our terrestrial patterns are working as well.
07/16/22 The stream is still in okay shape in all sections. We continue to get some very good reports from customers – three this past week. Great hatches continue to take place, our terrestrial patterns are working and dry fly fishing is very good.
07/23/22 Conditions are very good. There are multiple hatches and our terrestrials are working good. All sections of the river are turning out good catches for our customers.
07/30/22 We received four good reports from customers fishing this past week. Match the hatch and you will be in business. The different sections of the stream has some differences in the hatches.
08/06/22 Conditions are very good in all sections of the river. We received three good reports from customers fishing this past week. Good hatches continue to take place.
08/13/22 The stream is in good shape. We continue to receive good reports from customers fishing all sections of the river. There are multiple hatches and our terrestrial imitations are also working.
08/20/22 The river continue to turn out some good catches in all sections. We received four good reports this past week. Good hatches continue to take place.
08/27/22 Stream levels are near normal and the water clear. Good late season summer hatches are taking place. We received four more good reports from customers fishing this past week.
09/04/22 Conditions are very good. Stream levels are just a little below normal level. Good late season hatches are taking place. We received two good reports this past week.
09/11/22 The stream is turning out good numbers of trout for our customers and in all sections of it. We received five good reports this past week.
09/18/22 This is the best choice for trout in the state. Good numbers and good sizes of trout are being caught in all sections thanks to continuing good hatches.
09/25/22 The stream is turning out some very good catches for our customers. Stream levels are fine and there are some very good late season hatches taking place.
10/08/22 The river is in good condition, flowing just a little below normal level and clear. We are getting several good reports from customers catching good numbers and sizes of trout in all sections of it.
10/27/22 The stream is still in excellent shape with good hatches taking place. We continue to get good reports.
10/31/22 The season closes today.
01/02/23 Stream levels are above normal and rising. good winter hatches are taking place.
04/28/23 Today is the last Saturday of April and the stream is open to fishing. Conditions look good. There are multiple hatches taking place. Let us hear from you.
05/14/23 A few trout have been caught but the water is on the way up and highly stained. Check back with us. We will keep you informed.
05/25/23 The stream is still a little high but falling fast. There are lot of insects hatching. The season has been underway for three days.
06/07/23 The stream is turning out some very good catches of trout for our customers. Good hatches are taking place. Send us an email for a recommended fly and gear list.
06/14/23 Stream levels are just a little below normal and the river is clear. Very good hatches are taking place. Dry fly fishing has been very good this past week.
06/24/23 The river is in okay shape with lots of hatching insects. We continue to get good catch reports from our customers. Terrestrials like our carpenter ants, Japanese beetles and hoppers are also working good. Lots of PMDs and PEDs.
07/02/23 Conditions are good. Good stream levels and good hatches are taking place. We received two good reports from customers fishing this past week.
07/12/23 Conditions remain good. We received three good reports from customers fishing this past week. Good hatches are taking place but you need to match the hatch. You can do that with Perfect Flies which look like the real things.
07/20/23 The stream is in very good shape. We received four good reports from customers fishing this past week. Good hatches are taking placed and dry fly fishing is good.
07/31/23 Good conditions continue to exist. We received two more good reports from customers fishing this past week.
08/05/23 The stream is still in very good shape with stream levels that are normal and with clear water. We received four good reports from customers fishing this past week. Very good hatches are taking place.
08/17/23 The stream is still turning out some very good catches of trout and in all sections. We received four good reports from customers fishing this past week. Very good hatches are taking place and you should match them carefully for the best results.
08/21/23 The stream is still flowing at a normal level with clear water. Good hatches continue to take place. Our terrestrials, Carpenter ants, Japanese beetles and sandwich hoppers are also working.
08/28/23 The stream is flowing above a normal level due to recent rain but should drop and clear fast. We have been getting excellent catch reports from customers.
09/05/23 The stream is in good condition and turning out some very good catches for our customers. Good late season hatches continue to come off.
09/12/23 The stream is still in good conditions and turning out some very good catches. Good late season hatches are taking place.
09/19/23 The stream is still in very good shape and turning out good numbers of trout for our customers. There are still plenty hatching insects and dry fly fishing is still good.
09/26/23 Conditions remain good. The stream is flowing near a normal level in good shape. Good hatches continue to take place.
10/03/23 Stream conditions are still okay and good hatches are still coming off good. It is much, much better to match the hatch and what is about to hatch (nymphs and pupa) and you can do that with Perfect Flies that look like and are named after the real things.
10/12/23 The stream is in good shape with good late season hatches. You should be able to catch plenty especially if you match the hatch and make good presentations.
10/27/23 Sorry I missed last week’s report. Trout fishing is very good with good late season hatches including October Caddis.
12/09/23 The stream is closed to fishing.
01/10/24 The stream is still closed to protect spawning trout.
Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations.