Fished everywhere again this week, and yes, caught steelhead.  There are some spots I would love to get back too right now, and some spots I would love to be all day. Maybe I will offer a little discount this week for Wednesday, maybe a fish-a-long?

The Hoh river graph showed the effects of the warm weather earlier last week, we had a few tougher days as a result, but the Sol Duc Bogachiel and Calawah stayed low and clear.
The fishing pressure has shifted down south, but is still light enough to be negligible. Coho? I don't know.  Other than the summer fish in the Sol duc we haven't seen much for early salmon, no one is complaining with the steelhead fishing being so good, but it would be nice to see a few around, especially in the Quilayute just to split the angler effort.

        

        

Well,
Its the best steelhead fishing I have seen in August in a very long time. The trout fishing has tapered off a bit but no one is complaining.
All the rivers around Forks are fishing well, the Sol Duc, Bogachiel and Calawah are all low and gin clear, but if you are careful you will find good biters.  The Sol Duc now has summer Coho all the way to the hatchery as well as steelhead throughout.  The Glacial rivers have strong numbers of summer steelhead and good numbers of Kings.
No Complaints.
I might do a recon run on early fall sea run cutthroat tonight.  We will see how that goes.

        

Returned from vacation last week and had two tough trips, nice weather, some trout a few steelhead hooked, none landed.  Things turned around this week pretty well.  The Glacial rivers have dropped enough to provide access to some exxxtremly hot summer steelhead.  Fish numbers are good and for better or worse things seem to be slipping into that fall fishing pattern that fly fishers dream about all year.

The main show is still definitely a summer steelhead gig, and it should keep getting better, but there are already enough Coho and king salmon around to make me think about heading in that direction. 

Now I am not expecting any all out slaughter days in the next week or two, but I am expecting some quintessential summer steelhead fishing with Zero angler pressure, great weather, and a neat mix of salmon steelhead and trout.

You don’t need to book a trip, but you should REALLY try to sneak out to go fishing in the next few weeks.  Bring a trout rod, a light spey rod, a sleeping bag and some chow.   Fish Friday evening, Saturday morning and then get home to mow the lawn on Sunday, it will be a trip you remember all year.

Dimitri, and his second steelhead

Jim

        

        

Well I am back home after a week spent on the Kalama, the original modern steel head laboratory.

Hot, sweaty, tough, amazingly rewarding.  About like bone fishing for big hyper chromers, no, more like permit fishing, well, depends on the day.

Really?  Start off the day with a big hatchery steelhead in front of a waterfall?

This river has so much to offer, and changes so radically from day to day, It can test you skills like no place I have ever fished before, but offers you so many damn chances.  There are days it fishes text book, and days that a change up is a must.

Yep, That's a guy in shorts and a T-shirt holding a bruiser chrome hatchery steelhead, that's just how it is.

As for the fishing the cop out would be to say we averaged more than two fish per day.  This would help to cover up the fact that on two days we completely banked out.  One day it pretty much seemed like there were no fish at all, on the other they were crawling all over the place but we could not make a biter.  I feel comfortable saying that if you want to nail a brand new super tough show me some backing right now style steelhead, its always a gamble. 

I plan to head down again next year, I am going to try the week earlier, June 26th through the 2nd of July.  I would like to make arrangements with guests to maybe break up the day a bit, a crazy early swing morning, a break, and then sight fishing in the afternoon.

Kalama base camp

        

7:30 am and the dew has already burned off the grass, looks like the first real beauty day of the summer is here.  Lucky for me I have lots to do today, I need to tie a bunch of flies, do some advertising work, tighten up the summer schedule, call the insurance guy, mow the lawn while its dry…NONE of that shit will get done, I am going fishing and I humbly suggest that you fake a vomiting attack, blow outa work and do the same.

On our side of the Olympic peninsula we are fishing for sockeye, summer steelhead, a few kings and …trout. 

Here is what’s happening with the coastal cutthroat; If you fish a dries, especially big orange foam ones, you will catch a few 10 to 13 inch cutts in every good hole right now, if you fish through a second time stripping a black wooly bugger you will catch one or two 14 to 16 inch trout that ignored you gear the first time.  I have seen a few pushing 20 inches this year, but they have mostly been accidents that sockeye fishermen caught on gear.  That said, trout fishermen have been finding a few accidental steel head and sockeye, so it goes both ways.

Here is whats going on around Forks.

 

Bogachiel, looks good, has some new summer steelhead moving up, lots of cutthroat

 

Calawah, Looks good, has some summer steelhead, and a truckload of idiots with bobber rods.  Lots of cutthroat

 

Sol Duc, Sockeye in the Lower end, cutthroat and steelhead all the way through

 

Hoh, A bit high, probably will get a lot higher today with all the sunshine, there have been summer steelhead, bull trout, and kings caught down there this week.  Lets hope we can get the worst of the run off out of the way in the next two weeks.

Coho Craig helped me score this crazy hot summer hatchery fish

Jim Kerr

Rain Coast Guides

        

First, I have a cancellation for this Saturday’s workshop that I would love to fill.  If anyone thinks they can make it that would be great.  Just give me a call and I will send you all the details.

It’s the full day summer steelhead workshop, you get maps, on the water instruction, a shot at messing with some cool gear, tons of spey lines to try and three meals plus, well lots of other stuff for $135.00

I did a blog post with a full description a few weeks ago.

Also, there has been some great trout fishing, mostly dry fly for coastal cutts in the 10 to 14 inch class with a few larger.  It won’t last long but if any one wants to give it a go I would discount a trip on the 28^th through 30^th.  I just don’t have that many trout clients and I really want to do this.

Oh Yea, a report.  The crowds are thinning and the fish are moving in.  I guess people are finding other things to do.

The Caddis are on the march, but the trout seem faf more interested in the adult stones

Jim Kerr

Rain Coast Guides

        

In the last week we have caught summer steelhead, winter steelhead, spring Chinook, sockeye, and lots of trout.  Actually a whole lot of trout, and some pretty damn nice ones.  The stone flies are coming off and a dude armed with a 4 weight and a stimulater is in pretty good shape around here right now.

If you want summer steel head it is still a Quilayute system show, fishing around the Calawah or Sol Duc hatcheries.  The Hoh has spring Chinook and late steel head, but doesn’t seem to have much for summer fish yet.

Craig, all smiles when his hatchery summer chromer, turned out to be a native winter chromer.

Sockeye this time of year are small but extremely aggressive.  Oh yea, and super tasty.

Jim Kerr

 Rain Coast Guides

        

 

Last week was a pretty good one for spring salmon, although a lot of the fish were unmarked.  There are more and more summer steelhead wandering around, and now with all of the rivers open they are getting less pressure.

Looks like I may have done o.k. by putting my Kalama dates off until July.  For anyone that wants to head down and has not already booked I still have July 10^th through the 14th open.  Give me a call if you are interested.  It’s always tons of fun down there.

Davis with a fat bright hatchery steelhead

Jim Kerr

Rain coast guides