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The mainstem Klamath River around Orleans is a prime fishing area for steelhead and provides scenic views of Six Rivers National Forest and Marble Mountains in the Klamath National Forest in the distance. Photo provided by Pat Higgins. February 2003.


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A drift boat anchors up along the bank above Camp Creek hoping to hook a steelhead. Photo provided by Pat Higgins. February 2003.


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Close up of typical "half-pounder" type steelhead caught on an orange corky and about to be released after this photo opportunity. Half-pounders are usually steelhead that have only spent year in the ocean and return to feed when the salmon spawn in fall. The Karuk Tribe have also noticed that smaller steelhead spawn in small Middle Klamath tributaries, so this "half-pounder" might actually be a small adult tuned to spawning in small Klamath tributaries. Photo provided by Pat Higgins. February 2003.


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Jim Villeponteaux of the Salmon River Restoration Council hoists a small steelhead which is about to be released back to the mainstem Klamath River. Photo provided by Pat Higgins. February 2003.


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This close up shows a steelhead which is shedding scales caught and released in the mainstem Klamath River near Orleans. Fish shedding scales often are getting ready to smolt and this could be a two or three year old juvenile steelhead that has just come out of a large tributary (like Camp Creek) and is headed for the ocean. Larger creeks in the Middle Klamath support three year old juvenile steelhead and may also have larger adults returning to spawn. Photo provided by Pat Higgins. February 2003.


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A small, unnamed tributary joins the middle Klamath upstream of Orleans. Photo provided by Pat Higgins. February 2003.


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Camp Creek joins the Klamath below Orleans from the left. Note the terraces of sand deposited upstream of the mouth while the bar downstream (at left) is more coarse. Camp Creek is not the source of the sand and is in advanced recovery from past management (see Kier Assoc., 1999). Photo provided by Pat Higgins. February 2003.


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This photo shows recreational fishermen in a raft floating through Orleans. The linear feature at the top of the photo at right is Ishi Pishi Road. Photo provided by Pat Higgins. February 2003.