Steelhead and Salmon Fishing Seasons


Steelhead and Salmon Fishing Seasons: click on any link below for more details ...

Summer Steelhead

April - August

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Fall Salmon

October - November (Olympic Peninsula)
As the first big rains fill the rivers, large numbers of Silvers and King Salmon enter the rivers.  Silvers up to 20lbs. and King up to 50lbs.  The limit is 3 adult fish per day.   Most common used techniques are back trolling bait, large plugs, spinners. and jigs. Jigs are very effective in low water.


 Winter Steelhead

Mid-November - April

From the second half of November through January large numbers of Hatchery Steelhead come into the rivers. The limit is 3 per day.
 
The Olympic Penninsula is known for its Monsterous Native Steelhead, fish 20 to 30 lbs and larger! are caught every year.

Steelhead are a great fighting fish they will often "Tail Walk" when first hooked and then take a line peeling run up or down river as they empty your spool.

The limit for Native Steelhead is 1 per year, but it is very honorable to release all Native Steelhead to help perserve these last great runs that the OP has to offer.

Steelhead techniques vary from pulling plugs to bobbers and the most exciting is side-drifting, where the angler's cast in an upstream angle and feeling the lead tick the bottom every few feet until he feels the bite of the fish and you set the hook.  Fish on!

I use ultra-lite 9.5 foot G Loomis rods and Shimano Stradic 2500 reels.  A side drifting trip will go an average of 12 -18 miles, so you will have many fish-catching opportunities.

We will stop along the way for breaks, lunch and maybe some bank fishing as well.

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Spring Chinook 

  mid March- June          

Springer’s start entering the tributary rivers of the Columbia in mid March until June

I fish the Kalama, Lewis, Cowlitz and the Skagit in June. These chrome bright beauties are very popular fortheir flesh is bright orange and have a very high fat content which makes them excellent table fair. These fish won’t be ready to spawn until late September -Octber. These hard fighting ferocious biters average 8-15 lbs, they are a blast to catch with their hard take downs and powerful deep runs they don’t tire easily.

The limit for Springer’s is two hatchery fish per day. A variety of methods is used including plug pulling, diver and bait, spinners and in low water bobber and bait. So come out and enjoy a great day of fishing for spring Chinook.

Drano Lake