I haven’t been on the Olympic Peninsula since 2020. A common theme with the OP and my fishing excursions over the past 20 years. I spent a lot of time bumming around in my early 20s. Caught some amazing fish, learned a lot, and then just kind of lost the bug. You get “Your” lifetime fish and some anglers chase more and some kinda go…okay what’s next. I was the latter. A long time ago now. The year my eldest daughter was born. So…2008, she was born September 2007, and on Feb 20th 2008 I landed my big steelhead. I have a picture of it somewhere. I had a clunky old digital camera that had a timer. Set it up after tailing the fish and snapped a photo. I didn’t even print the photo for another season. Had it framed for a while. Its probably in a box in a storage unit in Idaho. Seems like an age ago. Kind of was.
After that I didn’t steelhead on the OP again until 2010 when I worked for one of the fly shops and got invited. I would chase steel on the Met and Wenatchee, they were close to where I lived. They closed down a few years later and I stopped steelheading altogether. From 2012 to 2018 I didn’t even really think about them. I was in my trout time. I was learning and guiding by 2015 so I didn’t have time. In 2018 I hit the OP again after trying the Grande Ronde and Snake in Idaho and wanted something I was familiar with. Friends and I started venturing out and I encountered a few here and there but rare. 2020 I put serious effort into several trips, landed 3 so was happy. Then Covid, work, and here I am again in 2025 giving it another go in February.
For the next 12 days we chase steel. We reconned areas today. The rain and snows are here. Maybe a bump in flows, a high tide, and they should come through. The water is so low. 1000cfs. We have the boat but we are gonna hit it on foot for now. Patience they don’t have a lot of space right now.
The OP is gorgeous. It is this murky, damp, foggy, charmful place. It reminds me of Upper Peninsula Michigan in so many ways. We walked the the mouth of the Hoh today. Touched the Pacific. In a few weeks we will touch the Atlantic as we grab our house from Florida and head back to Washington for our season starting. Steelheading is our vacation before our very busy season.
I could live out here. Its warm in the winter compared to the other side. There is saltwater with sea run trout and steelhead and spey casting. I like the quiet of it all out here. Cle Elum is getting busy and loud. I miss the woods.
The OP has a special place in most PNW anglers hearts. These short little coastal rivers are true hallowed grounds in the angling world. These fish that run here are special and unlike any others I have every encountered. Truly special. Kristen has never met one, so there is some drive for her to meet one. I am hopeful, things are favorable as the week progresses. And I wouldn’t mind meeting one myself. I am a much different angler these days, wiser, more appreciative, less intense, and I am also indifferent to seeing one. One less encounter with a human means more chance at survival for the fish at the end of the day. And I have met these fish before.
But to be here for a first encounter with Kristen is something I am looking forward to. The OP in February seems like a proper place for a couple of trout bums to be.
See ya riverside anglers.
Tamarack
Tamarack's Guide Service 