SWINGING FLIES FOR STEELHEAD
The Olympic Peninsula’s famous runs of winter steelhead begin in late November with the return of hatchery fish. The hatchery run will continue into January. As early as December we start to see some wild steelhead making their way up the rivers. The wild fish increase in numbers throughout January, with the peak of the run occurring between the middle of February and the middle of April. For more details on the fishing each month give us a call or send an email.
We fish for steelhead with spey rods and a swung fly. Casting and fly presentation are determining factors to success. We spend a lot of time throughout the day on instruction and improving technique as we fish. Our goal is to make successful steelhead fishing accessible to all skill levels so we will tailor the instruction to the things you want to work on, from the basics to the intricate details.
Steelhead are sea-run rainbow trout, in fact they are the same species. Going to the ocean allows steelhead to feed and grow up to 40 lbs, though the average is closer to 10 lbs. Their life cycles are unique in that they may spend years in freshwater before migrating to the ocean, and then return to freshwater more than once to spawn. Read about this and more steelhead facts on the NOAA fisheries page.
