Seattle Washington Salmon, Steelhead Fishing Guides Puget Sound Olympic Peninsula.

Washington Salmon and Steelhead Fishing Trips, September thru April

Every year some of the Pacific Northwest's finest salmon and steelhead fishing can be found on Washington's North Puget Sound Rivers located north of the Seattle area, and the legendary rivers of the Olympic Peninsula. The Skagit, Sauk, Stilliguamish, Nooksack, and Skykomish systems of the Northern Puget Sound and the Queets, Hoh, Bogachiel, and Sol Duc Rivers of the Olympic Peninsula offer anglers a great opportunity to experience outstanding salmon and steelhead fishing
amidst the scenic splendor of the Northwest. 

While any steelhead is worthy of it's reputation, every year a number of 20-plus pound steelhead are caught and released from these river systems, with some even topping the 30 pound mark. There is no freshwater gamefish in North America that will test the will of a fisherman better than a wild, winter run steelhead.

The 2003/2004 winter season has already passed and we're already looking forward to the winter of 2004/2005 for more magnificent steelhead fishing here in the Northwest. We begin running both jet boat and driftboat trips in early December for hatchery steelhead and our steelhead fishing continues on thru the end of April. Our early winter steelheading is just a primer for the months of February, March, and April when our large wild steelhead begin to show up in numbers. For a shot at a trophy steelhead, those are the months to be out on the water!

Every year numerous steelhead over 20 pounds are pulled from these river systems, and 30 plus pound wild winter steelhead can make an appearance in these river systems at any time. 30 pound steelhead are rare, but on occasion a 30-plusser like the one Chuck Robinson caught with us in 1996 can climb on and take "you" for a ride!

Check out our Washington Salmon and Steelhead Fishing Photo Gallery

While it is legal to harvest wild steelhead on some of the rivers that I operate on, I strictly practice catch and release on all wild steelhead!

There can be opportunities to catch salmon over the summer months in our rivers, but things really don't get cooking until the first push of Silvers enter our rivers in September. For both our Seattle area clientele and anglers travelling here from out of state this can be a great time to test your wits against these able fighters and also bring home some delicuous salmon for the bbq.

Tackle-busting King salmon, some weighing up to 60 lbs, also enter the Olympic Peninsula rivers at this time and provide excellent action all the way into early November.

Following the chinook and coho are the later returning chum salmon, which generally run through the middle of December on the Northern Puget Sound Rivers. These hard fighting fish are great sport for flyrodders looking for day long action on large, hard fighting salmon. On odd numbered years pink salmon invade the Skagit River starting in early August and run through the middle of September. Our 2001 Skagit River pink run was estimated at a whopping 1.4 million pinks and 2003 may prove to be an even larger run!