Pacific Northwest Steelhead trip

[Dance the Tides]

I recently returned from the Pacific Northwest where I spent a few days chasing Steelhead. As a long-time Great Lakes Steelhead fisherman, I was very interested in making some comparisons between Great Lakes and Pac NW Steelhead. Specifically, we fished the Olympic Peninsula. I fished with my nephew, who moved out to Seattle a few years ago and has spent those years scoping out rivers. It was a do-it-yourself excursion that included bushwhacking, pontoon floats, walk-and-wade and a borrowed drift boat. We fished the Queets and Hoh Rivers, both of which are glacier fed rivers that run out of the Olympic National Park. The rivers were relatively low by Northwest standards, but big water compared to Great Lakes rivers.

The glacier fed rivers are always off color.

Bushwhacking through river-bottom forest is loads of fun!

Some of our trip was done on pontoons. I don’t know why we don’t see them more in the Northeast.

We averaged 3-4 fish per day. Most were wild fish, which are prettier, thicker, fight better and have all fins attached.

Hatchery fish stack-up well with Great Lakes fish, but are skinnier and wimpier than wild fish and they have an adipose fin clip.

When possible, we did two-rod fly fishing. One rod rigged for swinging large flies and one for indicator rigs. The local custom is to fish two flies. One fly is either a yarn fly(for indicators) or large marabou/bugger/leach fly(for swing fishing). The second “fly†is either a glow bug or a plastic bead. When I say yarn fly, I mean yarn+hook. We did substitute estatz flies for yarn flies at times. They all caught fish.

I was able to make some conclusions with respect to the two fisheries. There is not much comparison between Great Lakes steelhead and wild NW steelhead. Ocean run, wild fish win the quality title, hands down. Hatchery fish from both places seem equivalent. The scale of the rivers is also entirely different. The issues regarding conservation are much different. While we in the Northeast are concerned with invasive species, pollution and wind farms, the biggest concerns among the NW river sport fishermen are Indian netting and logging. Some rivers get positively pillaged, while on other rivers, tribes and landowners seem to take long-term management seriously. Having said that, it does take some getting used to seeing jet sleds pulling in gill nets full of wild steelhead.

On the last day of the trip, I managed to pull off a slow-mo belly flop into knee-deep water while moving from one spot to another. It’s been along time since I’ve done that, but I can say without reservation that a February face-plant in a Pac NW river is nowhere near as cold as a February face-plant in a Great Lakes tributary. If you are a Steelhead fisherman, a trip to the Pacific Northwest should be on your bucket-list.

Paul

[LongLine]

That's a great post. I don't stand in the water whippping my fly but I'm envious. Thanx for sharing.

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[Has Been]

Looks in the picture like you were using spey rods ? What lb tippet were you using & what was your leader makeup?

[salmonboy41]

What about numbers 3-4 fish doesn't seem that good to me, like where there alot of fish in the rivers, or was it still a little to early?

[drlfc]

Great photos Paul! Your compare/contrast short essay would make my 5th grade english teacher envious.

Lou

[jason]

sweet pics paul.

[stan]

Paul

You should have given me a holler, I am just down the road. Glad you had a great time out west here, come on back and enjoy another trip. Promise we will not make fun of the way you talk.

[Dance the Tides]

Has Been: Yes, we used two-handers for swing fishing. Single handed rods for indicator fishing. Tippets were 12 or 10 lb. Swing rigs were intermediate sink-tips with 4-5 foot total leaders in two sections, a heavier butt and the twelve pound tip.

SB 41: 3-4 fish per person per day is considered a good day. The rivers are very big, with lots of places to hide, and the fish are always on the move. Its not like our rivers where they run to the hatchery or falls and build back down the river.

Stan: Its funny, but I was thinking of you. I went to LA first on business and flew over the coastal mountains all the way up. The weather was clear and Shasta Lake was quite visible. Based on your pictures and descriptions, I recognized it immediately. I could even tell that the level was up! It looks like the only lake in the area.

Lou: Glad you liked the story. I hope you make it out of 5th grade this year. Just kidding!

Paul

[Diversion]

Great post and pics