THE FISHING REPORT: Rivers West Lodge on the Lower Klamath

For the last 20 or so years I have visited the Lower Klamath River as regularly as the salmon themselves. Each fall, during the month of September, I would take the boat and the camper up to a crowded campground. Bathrooms were typically less than clean and invariably there would be the raucous party right next door. I would launch the boat in the dark along with 50 or more other boats and make my way up stream while waiting in lineups to fish along the way. The scar of both tribal commercial and subsistence netting was visible the entire way. Several years back my wife declined to accompany me citing these and other detractions.
Hamstrung by the time constraints of work and family obligations, my time period was short this year. I decided to try something a little different. I was only going to be able to get away for a long weekend and setting up the camper and launching the boat daily seemed like more work than it was worth, so I made a reservation at the Rivers West Lodge.
The  Lodge is located 20 mile upstream from the mouth. It is only practically reachable by jet boat. You can try to drive the difficult 26 miles but it will take you more than three hours and there is no AAA that will come to your rescue in the event you break down. The Lodge has a reputation of catering to fly fishermen but they will let the occasional gear fishermen in.
Greeted at the dock by a smiling Becky, the hostess of the lodge, we were taken to our rooms. We each had a private room that was clean and spacious with a deck and a lovely bird’s eye view of the river. Wow! — was my first impression. It was warm and quiet. It was a significant departure from the fogged in campgrounds down by the mouth. We got settled and, of course, wanted to go fish a bit, but it was late in the day and Becky suggested we try right out in front “by that rock over there”. So we did just that. Starting with a sardine wrapped Kwik fish one minute from the dock, we hooked up two average size salmon while enjoying our cocktail hour. There were no other boats on the river. It was quiet and peaceful and a long way away from civilization. AAAHHHHH!
Before dark, we made our way back to the lodge and we were introduced to the other guests. They were all fly fishermen and their guides and spirited discussions of the merits of both angling methods kept us busy through dinner. As I mentioned, this is a full service operation and three meals a day are provided. If you leave hungry, it is your own fault and the quality of the food was very good.
The next morning, a leisurely getup time of 6 a.m. allowed for a full night’s rest and walking into the lodge greeted by the smell of freshly brewed coffee was almost more than I could take. I was so used to scrambling an hour earlier to get to the dock and get launched that this was seriously a vacation. We walked down to the dock and I noticed that we still hadn’t heard a boat motor yet. So up to Tec Tah hole we went and we were the first ones there. This is arguably one of the best holes on the river and we had it to ourselves for more than two hours before the first guide boat came in. We fished hard and managed a couple salmon to 10 pounds before lunch.
From there, the fishing was just OK compared to all the hype the river has received this year. The water flows had dropped a foot the day we got there and, as a result, limit fishing the week before turned into just a fish or better a rod. And, of course, the fishing turned on the day after we left and has remained very solid since.
The Rivers West Lodge was a great alternative to the hustle and bustle of the lower river. It puts you way above the crowd and if you are looking for a quieter experience to bring a significant other that wasn’t a serious fisherman then this would be a great place to try.
For more fishing information, please contact Hunt Conrad at Prospect Mortgage, 431-9715.