The Williamson is a unique river.

I tell people the Williamson River is quite unique. It is very much like two different rivers. It starts out as a spring in a pumice hillside in a grove of Ponderosa Pine. That's in the Fremont-Winema National forest only about 40 miles northeast of the Lonesome Duck Ranch.


Thing is, it then flows mostly north, away from us for over 20 miles. It first goes through the famous Yamsi Ranch for some 8 miles as several more springs join in. It is clear and a true spring creek meandering through pastures and clumps of willows. It goes through several other ranches and some of the national forest before in turns west and enters the huge Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge. Before the refuge the river has Brook Trout and a genetically distinct population of Redband Rainbow, different than the Redbands found down our way that run in and out of Klamath Lake like landlocked Steelhead Trout. John Hyde, of Yamsi Ranch, says the record for the upper Williamson is 31”. That's a nice fish but something else grows them even bigger down here on the lower Williamson.


When the river enters the huge marsh at the refuge is disperses across many miles of shallow marsh. Often there is no visible channel. Furthermore, as summer progresses most years, the river does not emerge from the marsh at the downstream end and continue toward us. It is all absorbed, evaporated, diverted for irrigation, or just goes underground. The marsh itself is not prime trout habitat; it is known more for Bullhead Catfish, for example.


So the preceding is part of the reason the Williamson is like two rivers. In normal springs the winter rains and snow-melt fill the marsh to overflowing and the second part of the river, the Lower Williamson begins. When such wet periods occur the Williamson flows out of the marsh headed south, now. The overflow point is just about the point of the former village of Kirk, where the fishing regulations change on the Oregon regulations between the upper and  lower parts of the Williamson. The water coming out of the marsh is deeply colored by organic materials now in the water and looks like coffee without cream. This can be easily seen at the little bridge over the river at Kirk.


From Kirk the river gradually drops into a canyon that runs on the order of 10 miles. The canyon contains several waterfalls which are nearly inaccessible. The largest falls is called Rootbeer Falls for good reason. The dark water loaded with humic acid and other organics foams copiously when agitated by the rough treatment.


The rather long seasonal separation of the river into two, plus the falls act as barriers which keep the fish in the upper and lower rivers distinct. Starting in the canyon, Brown Trout are present. The river is dark until the dark colored water from the marsh is cut off as season progresses well into summer. Then the river becomes mostly spring fed, cold and clear. Late in the summer the very cold Spring Creek enters the Williamson about 3 miles below the canyon and Collier State Park. This time of year it usually more than double the flow of the river. A little cream is added by the Sprague River 10 miles further down at Chiloquin. The cream being some of the muddy water from the ranch country up the Sprague River Valley. Still the volume of cold clear water in the Williamson dominates and it serves as a retreat for the very large Upper Klamath Lake Redbands when the lake gets too warm. The waters of the rivers and the lake are very rich. Quite and fish growing system!!!