Rivers Fished
All Trips are full days and are $625 for one or two anglers
Skykomish River
June 1st - January 31st
$625 one or two anglers
Trips on the Sky will be all roughly 8 hours long, give or take a few hours, leaning to give rather than take. I love to fish this river and we will put in all the time that we need to. My main goal is to give you the knowledge and skills necessary needed to catch a steelhead using a fly. Unlike many other fly fishing guides I stick to the traditional methods of the swung fly presentation. I follow the philosophy "If I can't swing it, I don't fish it." There is nothing better than the take of a swung fly, the explosion of chrome as it rips the line off the reel, rocketing out of the water to give you the experience that we are all looking for in Steelhead fishing. To quote many great fly fisherman over the years that I have come to know "Steelhead fishing with the fly is not about hooking lots of fish and filling your freezer, its all about the Take and the Show." Its true everything else is just icing on the cake. The best fishing on this river is from December to February for Winter-Run Steelhead. With the hatchery fish showing up best in mid-December and the treasured Native Winter-Run Starting to show in January until the river closes.
Summer-Run fishing opens June 1st every year. What has been a bonus for us Steelhead junkies is that many anglers at this time are after Spring and Summer Chinook leaving the good Steelhead water virtually untouched. The majority of the run shows up in the first couple of weeks in June and then we get a steady trickle of fish coming up the river all the way through October. Guided trips will be available from June 7th until Mid to late August depending on water conditions. Transportation on the river is afforded to you by my trusty raft. Lunch and Refreshments will be available at no extra cost upon request. Your Day on the river will include casting tips, along with teaching you the ability to read water for these fish along with presentation techniques that will help you catch more fish in the future.
Hoh River
February 15th - April 15th
$625 one or two anglers
The Hoh (hoe) River has become my favorite river on the Olympic Peninsula to fish for Steelhead. The size and aggressiveness of the fish make for great fishing experiences. Although we are allowed by the state to keep one wild fish a year we practice only catch and release on these rivers. This is too much of a precious resource to put in the freezer. Although it is not uncommon to find a hatchery fish in the Hoh the main target is the Wild Winter Steelhead. Just like the Sol Duc, these fish start to show up in late February with the bulk of the run coming through in March. Although this river is susceptible to heavy rains and making it un-fishable I will try an take as many people to this river as I can. The chance for success is much greater on this river and it is an easier river to fish for most people. Both the single hand rod and the Spey rod can be used on this river effectively, unlike a few of the others on the O.P.
Days on the Hoh will start in Forks, WA at about 8:00 a.m. From there we will depart to the takeout. Because of ferry schedules it is best to stay in Forks the night before if you attempt to come the day of the trip you will not be into Forks until about 10:00 at the earliest cutting your fishing day short. There are plenty of places to stay in Forks and I also offer a discount for people who want to get the best fishing experience on their full day of fishing by offering a half day/full day deal. This allows us to get the nitty grittys of catching a Steelhead on a swung fly, and learning how to read the water out of the way allowing us to just fish on our long day.
Wenatchee
Sept - November
$625 one or two anglers
The Wenatchee is one of my favorite summer run rivers to fish. Although it is not open every year typically the fishing starts to pick up in mid September and be really good in October before the fall rains hit. The majority of fishing on the Wenatchee will be done with floating lines and either damp or dry flies.
The openings very from year to year on the Wenatchee but when they do open it there is typically plenty of fish around willing to go after our fly. A moderate drive from Seattle and the areas around the Wenatchee makes for a great one or two day getaway for dry line summer run fishing.