California's Chinook Salmon Rivers Are Open Again
For the first time in three years, California anglers can legally keep Chinook salmon on the Sacramento River and the Klamath and Trinity rivers. As of this month, all three fisheries are running at the same time, mid-season.
What changed
On May 6, 2026, the California Fish and Game Commission adopted new sport fishing regulations reopening Chinook seasons across the Klamath River Basin and the Central Valley, ending three straight years of closure driven by drought-depressed salmon returns. CDFW attributes the reopening to a run of better water years, increased hatchery production, habitat restoration work, dam removal on the Klamath, and the state's Salmon Strategy for a Hotter Drier Future.
Central Valley: Sacramento, American, Feather, Mokelumne rivers The general fall-run season opened July 16 and runs through December 16, with variation on specific stretches — the Sacramento above Woodson Bridge, for instance, didn't open until August 1. Anglers also get a full season on the Feather, American, and Mokelumne rivers this year, after a shortened 2025 season. Per tributary, the daily bag limit is two fish and the possession limit is four fish, any size.
Boundaries and exact dates vary tributary by tributary, so check CDFW's current freshwater sport fishing regulations for your specific stretch before heading out.
Klamath and Trinity rivers
The Klamath Basin opened in two phases. Late spring-run Chinook fishing ran July 1 through August 14 on the Klamath and August 31 on the Trinity, with a one-fish daily bag / two-fish possession limit, any size. Fall-run Chinook opened August 15 on the Klamath and September 1 on the Trinity; both seasons run through December 31.
For the fall fishery: daily bag limit is two fish, but only one can be an adult over 23 inches. Possession is capped at six fish, of which only three may be adults over 23 inches. The basin-wide adult quota for the fall run is 3,248 fish — once that's reached, fishing continues but only for jacks (sub-adult fish below the quota-counted size).
Why it's worth watching
Three consecutive years without a Chinook season on some of the West Coast's most storied salmon water hit guides and river-town economies hard, from Sacramento up through the Klamath Basin. This reopening is an early test of whether California's newer salmon-recovery approach — hatchery investment, habitat restoration, and the completed Klamath dam removals — produces sustained returns rather than a single good year.
Bottom line for anglers
Heading to Northern California this fall: buy a current sport fishing license, check CDFW's regulations booklet for the exact boundaries and dates on your stretch (they differ by tributary), and mind the adult-size cutoffs on the Klamath/Trinity system — oversized "extra" adults beyond your limit have to go back in the water.
Sources CDFW: Chinook Fishing to Reopen on Klamath, Trinity and Sacramento Rivers After 3-Year Closure (CDFW News, May 12, 2026) CatchRules: Sacramento River Salmon & Steelhead Season & Limits 2026 Fishing the North Coast: 2026 River/Ocean Regulations