The 2026 adult Chinook salmon fishing season will soon close on the Upper Trinity River.
The closure comes as California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) projections indicate anglers will have met the Upper Trinity River adult fall-run Chinook salmon quota for the season as of 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
At that time, the adult Chinook salmon fishery on the Trinity River from the Old Lewiston Bridge to the Highway 299 West Bridge at Cedar Flat will be closed. This reach will remain open, however, for harvest of 2-year-old jack Chinook salmon (less than or equal to 23 inches). All adult Chinook salmon caught must be immediately released.
The Klamath and Trinity rivers are managed as quota fisheries allowing for the combined take of approximately 3,200 adult fall-run Chinook salmon in 2026. Different sections of the two rivers have different quotas assigned to them. You can learn more about these fishing quotas at CDFW’s YouTube channel.
The quota for adult Chinook on the upper Trinity this season was 536 adult fish. Anglers can monitor the quota status of open and closed sections of the Klamath and Trinity rivers by calling CDFW’s information hotline at (800) 564-6479.
CDFW reminds anglers targeting salmon in the Klamath and Trinity rivers that they must be in possession of a 2026 North Coast Salmon Report Card. Anglers are required to begin filling out their card at the start of fishing and record harvest and release in real-time.
More information regarding fishing regulations for the Klamath River and other freshwater locations can be found in the 2026 California Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations.
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Media Contacts:
Dan Troxel, CDFW Klamath River Project, (707) 492-0611
Peter Tira, CDFW Communications, (916) 215-3898