Fishing Season Charts

winter hatchery steel head
thanksgiving weekend till jan 1
average size is 5lbs
average day is 8 fish

 How we fish 'em

winter native steelhead
jan 1 thru april, peaking mid january through mid feb
average size is 8lbs but getting up in the thirties happens a couple times a year..
average day is 4 fish

 How we fish 'em

spring kings
april 1 through june
peaking in early may
average fish is 10lbs and getting up in the forties
avg day is 3 fish

 How we fish 'em

summer kings
mainly in the hoh
may 1 thru august
average size 15 pounds and get into the 50's peaking in june and july
avg day is 3 fish

 How we fish 'em

sockeye salmon
sol duc only
mid june thru july
avg size is 3 lbs and get up to 6.
average day is 6 fish

 How we fish 'em

summer run steelhead
june 1 through july
average size is 5 lbs and get up in the high teens
avg day is 6 fish

 How we fish 'em

summer coho
aug 1 through sept 1
avg size is 6 lbs and get in the lower teens
avg day is 3 fish

 How we fish 'em

fall coho
mid sept thru november peaking in october
avg size is 8 lbs and get in the low twenties
avg day is 12 fish

 How we fish 'em

fall kings
mid sept thru november peaking in oct
avg size is 20 and get in the 60's
avg day is 8

 How we fish 'em

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WINTER ATCHERY STEELHEAD

We will be in the bogicheil river in early dec and then switching to the hoh in the last couple weeks,  mostly drifting pearl pink corkies or bobber and jig if the water gets too clear. call me old fashioned but i still like to pull plugs, very effective and it has seemed to fade away with time, leaving the fish to seing something different than every one else is throwing, and is a great way for inexperienced fishermen and women and kids to have a day of catching fish and not being frustrated by skilled methods.

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WINTER NATIVE STEELHEAD

we still use the same methods but the better days come in the hoh when everyone is fighting over first water in the sol duc. I am one of few guides who are skilled enough to float the waters of the calawah river, it is a class II classIII white water river and don't have to worry about added out of town pressure. A lot of bobber fishing is done this time of the year, being that the water gets low and clear and i like to get in the outcast raft and have the river to ourselves most of the time.

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SPRINGERS

Our spring run is great and but these are very tricky fish, only half of them seem to want to eat and only on certain days, the water in the sol duc is usually getting low and clear this time of year. Pulling plugs strapped with sardene is the most effective way and we pitch spinners in the fast pocket water in between plug holes. These fish are by far the best eating fish that forks has to offer. Having the raft, we get to fish them longer than most people because in the middle of the run the water gets to low for drift boats.

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SOCKEYE

very few people know the secret sockeye trick but its awesome and really is a secret, very few and i mean like 5 people know about it, fishing is all done with very light riggin this time of year in july and is all in the outcast raft.

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SUMMER RUN STEELHEAD

we will be mostly in the bogi and sol duc for these airborn fish, all being fished for from the raft and using bobber and jig, and some spinners, the weather is great and they bite anything that goes by them.

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SUMMER KINGS

We will be fishing the hoh river for the summer kings in the drift boat. usually very nice weather and very fiesty fish running from 15 to 50lbs. We just pull plugs for these fish, So bring the sunglasses and lots of food to snack on.

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SUMMER COHO

These fish come in by the hundreds and are very catchable as long as you hit them in the first couple weeks of them getting in the rivers, the water is very low when they arive and go off of the bite once they catch up to eachother in the head waters, we fish the quillayute and lower end of the sol duc for these fish. throwing nothing but small spinners on light poles and putting the occasional plug out. This is very visual fishing and is not uncommon to see 400 fish a day.

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FALL COHO

This is always the prime fishing adventure for the whole year. These fish are in all of the rivers, there are many, and they are hungry. We usually go after them in the sol duc but can catch them at any time in any of the 5 rivers surrounding forks. We throw spinners for these fish and they hit it like torpedos. This is very active fishing and when you get to fish them when they first come in, there are double and triple headers.. 20 fish in a day is average for the first few days of their arrival, granted a late rain.

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THE FALL KINGS

These are my favorite fish. There a a lot of them, they all seem to bite and they are BIG.    most of my fall king fishing is done in the hoh river and is all pulling plugs, you can get them other ways but nothing works better. We get a lot of them in the sol duc also but to target the kings only we go to the hoh. by the time they are in the water levels are getting high again and we get back in the river boats.

The river does go down fast this time of year with the ground being so dry that it isnt uncommon to have a ton of fish come in on the high water and 3 days later be back close to summer levels, leaving the fish for only those of us who have rafts.

This is a short season and is always everybodys busy time of the year so weather or not you plan on getting a guide or going for yourself, make plans well in advance... If your solely into catching fish, and not fishing in freezing weather for trophy steelhead, this is your time to go, and is the best time of year for the unskilled and new fishermen and women to have great days.

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