Washington

Klickitat River

Washington·Columbia River Gorge·45.88° N, 121.16° W

Solunar · next 7 days

About Klickitat River

The Klickitat is Washington's classic Columbia Gorge swing river — a glacier-fed tributary off Mount Adams that runs about 95 miles to meet the Columbia at Lyle, one of the longest largely-undammed rivers in the state. What draws fly anglers is the fall run of summer steelhead: fish that push in on the September freshet and hold in the lower canyon runs, taken on a dry line with Skagit or Scandi heads and a swung fly. This is spey water first and everything else second. The honest version is that you plan the Klickitat around the calendar, not around a good hatch.

Its character is dictated by glacial melt. The river carries suspended rock flour off the Adams glaciers, so through summer it runs off-color and clarity is genuinely unpredictable — that's why most guides don't book serious swing trips until late September, when the melt slows, the water drops and clears, and the big push of fresh fish lines up with dry-line temperatures. It runs cold for a summer-run river, so on tougher days a swung fly gets refused and nymphing quietly outproduces the swing. Highway 142 parallels the lower 18 miles from Lyle up through the town of Klickitat, giving genuine bank access to a dozen named runs plus several boat ramps; above town the river drops into a roadless basalt canyon that's float-only. The season closes November 30 and fishes best from late September into that close.

This is remote water. Klickitat County has no fly shop of its own — the nearest storefront is the Gorge Fly Shop across the river in Hood River, Oregon, and the shops that run the most Klickitat guide days are up in Ellensburg, roughly two hours north on the Yakima. There are resident rainbows in the canyon and up toward Glenwood, but they're an incidental catch, not a reason to make the drive — compared to the Yakima the trout are modest in size and number. Come for the steelhead, and know that 'glacial and off-color' is a real risk you're accepting.

Species

Steelhead (summer-run)
Primary · Sep-Nov (fishes Jun-Nov 30) · 5-12 lb
The marquee fishery — native and hatchery summer steelhead. Swung fly on a dry line when temps allow; nymph on cold or off-color days. Peak is late September into the November 30 close, when the melt slows and fresh fish stack in the lower canyon runs.
Chinook Salmon (spring run)
Common · Apr-May · 10-25 lb
Lower river only, mouth to Fisher Hill Bridge, on limited open days set by WDFW. A salmon-endorsement fishery, not a fly-rod target for most.
Chinook Salmon (fall run)
Common · Aug-Oct · 10-30 lb
Lower river, overlapping the early steelhead. Big fish that concentrate below Lyle Falls.
Coho Salmon
Common · Oct-Nov · 5-12 lb
Silvers in the lower river through later fall, tail end of the salmon season.
Resident Rainbow Trout
Present · Jun-Oct · 8-13"
Incidental. Canyon and upper river near Leidl and Glenwood. Modest fish next to the Yakima's — a bonus while you swing, not a destination trout fishery.
Mountain Whitefish
Common · Year-round (winter prime) · 10-16"
An underrated winter target once the steelhead season closes. They hit small nymphs hard through the cold months.

Species	Abundance	Best Season	Size
Steelhead (summer-run)	Primary	Sep-Nov (fishes Jun-Nov 30)	5-12 lb
Chinook Salmon (spring run)	Common	Apr-May	10-25 lb
Chinook Salmon (fall run)	Common	Aug-Oct	10-30 lb
Coho Salmon	Common	Oct-Nov	5-12 lb
Resident Rainbow Trout	Present	Jun-Oct	8-13"
Mountain Whitefish	Common	Year-round (winter prime)	10-16"

Sections

3 reaches

Upper River — Leidl toward Glenwood

FloatSalmon · Rainbow Trout · Whitefish

Above Leidl toward the Yakama Reservation boundary and Glenwood the river is a tough float with little classic 'fishy' water — more of a rafting adventure than a fly-rod destination. Resident rainbow trout and mountain whitefish are the quarry, on salmonflies and October caddis, and the live upper gauge (above West Fork near Glenwood) sits here. Access is poor and the fishing boundary at the reservation border caps the top end.

Best for: Resident rainbow trout on dries and nymphs and mountain whitefish for anglers after scenery and solitude more than numbers. A raft trip with limited wading at access points.

The Canyon — Klickitat to Leidl (roadless)

FloatSteelhead · Rainbow Trout

Above the town of Klickitat the river drops into a roadless basalt canyon. Guides run the classic 'Ice House to Town' and 'Slide to Ice House' floats through here, with almost no road access once you launch. This is the best grab-on-the-swing water for summer steelhead in solitude, with canyon rainbow trout as a bonus. October caddis can get thick in the Leidl area some years.

Best for: Swung-fly summer steelhead in solitude — the quintessential Klickitat canyon experience — plus incidental rainbow trout. A committing guided-float stretch.

Lower River — Lyle to the Town of Klickitat

Wade & FloatSteelhead · Salmon

The most-fished water — about 18 miles of runs, riffles, and holding pools that Highway 142 parallels the whole way, with a dozen fishy runs plus pullouts and boat ramps. Lyle Falls just above the mouth and the Fisher Hill Bridge are the regulatory landmarks for the salmon fishery. This is where most first-timers fish the Klickitat, swinging for summer steelhead and, lower down, catching fall chinook salmon and coho salmon. The USGS gauge near Pitt sits in this stretch.

Best for: Summer steelhead on the swing from the bank or a short drift-boat float; fall chinook salmon and coho salmon lower down toward the mouth. The accessible, road-side steelhead runs.

At a glance

Ideal wading flow: 1,000–2,500 cfs
Blow-out: >3,500 cfs
Ideal water temp: 42–56°F

Best seasons

Fall (late September into the November 30 close) is prime: glacial melt slows, the river drops and clears, fresh steelhead stack up, and October caddis peaks. Roughly 1,000-2,500 CFS near Pitt is prime swing water. Spring and early summer are salmon-focused and glacially off-color; winter is a quiet whitefish option. Remember that clarity, not gauge height, decides fishability here — summer melt keeps it off-color regardless of CFS.

Regulations

Regulations on the Klickitat are heavily segmented — by the mouth, Lyle Falls, Fisher Hill Bridge, fishway No. 5, and the Klickitat Salmon Hatchery boundary — and change every year by emergency rule. The steelhead season runs roughly June through November 30 under selective-gear and wild-release rules, and the salmon fishery is governed by a 2026 WDFW rule change with specific open days and limits. Portions of the drainage run through the Yakama Reservation; the upper fishing boundary is at the reservation border. Always confirm the current rules and any in-season emergency changes with WDFW before fishing.

Steelhead: season runs roughly June 1 through November 30, subject to yearly emergency rules; selective-gear and wild-release rules apply — confirm annually
Spring Chinook (2026): mouth to Fisher Hill Bridge open Apr 3-May 29, Wednesdays and Saturdays only, 1 salmon or hatchery steelhead daily, 2-salmon season limit
Salmon (2026): Jun 1-Jul 31, mouth to Fisher Hill Bridge, 6 salmon daily (2 adults); a 6-jack daily limit applies from 400 ft above fishway No. 5 to the markers below the Klickitat Salmon Hatchery
Salmon fishing is year-round below Lyle Falls; above the falls it reopens Aug 1
Mountain whitefish: open all year
Columbia River Salmon/Steelhead Endorsement required in addition to a Washington freshwater license for salmon and steelhead

The upper fishing boundary is the Yakama Reservation border. Regulations are among the most segmented in the state and are revised annually — the 2026 salmon and steelhead rules came in via a March 2026 WDFW rule change. Check the WDFW rule-change page and eRegulations special rules before every trip.

Source: Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. Regulations change annually. Verify before fishing.

Getting there

Lyle, WA

1 hr from Portland, OR to Lyle; ~2 hrs from Ellensburg-area shops; ~25 min from Goldendale

Fly shops

Camping: Leidl Campground (Stinson Flats, DNR) sits on the river; Klickitat County parks line Highway 142. Motels in Goldendale, White Salmon, and Hood River, OR — Hood River has the most lodging and food.

Highway 142 parallels the lower 18 miles from Lyle through the town of Klickitat with bank access and boat ramps. Above town the canyon is roadless and float-only — go guided or well-prepared. The upper river is bounded by the Yakama Reservation.

Klickitat River

About Klickitat River

Species

Sections

Upper River — Leidl toward Glenwood

The Canyon — Klickitat to Leidl (roadless)

Lower River — Lyle to the Town of Klickitat

Fishing reports

More in Washington

Columbia River Gorge

Wind River

Other regions

Cowlitz River

Hoh River

Icicle Creek

Little Spokane River

Methow River

Naches River

Klickitat River

About Klickitat River

Species

Sections

Upper River — Leidl toward Glenwood

The Canyon — Klickitat to Leidl (roadless)

Lower River — Lyle to the Town of Klickitat

Fishing reports

More in Washington

Columbia River Gorge

Wind River

Other regions

Cowlitz River

Hoh River

Icicle Creek

Little Spokane River

Methow River

Naches River

Fishing conditions

Fishing conditions