Thinking of heading to Forks, WA. for some steel head fishing (never tried it before), is that a good time to fish? Fishing in the rain any fun?

The winter run goes into April. I've fished both the Elwha and Hoh rivers during the winter and you really need to be prepared for crappy weather. Layers will be essential. You will probably be better off going with a guide if you have little or no experience Steelheading. It's not for the faint of heart in that area.

Jim

Oh yea, awesome fishing is possible. As Jimbo pointed out, the coastal rivers are not novice water. A guide into the rain forest is a really good idea, March can be the beginning of a beautiful spring or a psyco mess. The Bogie, Humptulips, and Skagit were my favorite rivers. I chose to chase summer run fish and lighter tackle

Get a guide. Fished the rivers there many times. If you really want to land a steelhead your odds are best from a guided boat. If you need a referral for a guide let me know. Yes it is super fun, and very beautiful. Bucket-list experience.

If you do not mind bait-fishing, your odds are decent. If you insist on the purist fly-only approach, much lower odds. Take a camera.

Thanks guys, the guide I plan on using is Larry Scott..Westside Guide Service, out of Forks, WA. Larry, if you are reading this join in...member discount

Yup, not having any experience in a totally unfamiliar area is reason for caution. The guide provides mostly everything, and my son and I did some fishing in Alaska (Kenai) for salmon two years ago..it was so much FUN! We did catch and release so we caught up to 9 each per day...it's actually tiring to do that. But Steelhead fishing seems to be much more challenging especially with the cold rainy weather. Ohh, the approach is different, for Salmon they trolled lures..for Steelhead its bait or flys (flies)?.

Years ago I won a contest along with 20 or so other winners nationally to have lunch and chat afterwards with Ted Williams. This took place at The Ted Williams museum. After lunch had ended we all got our turn to get a picture with Ted and ask him a question or two. Many of the winners were asking him all sorts of baseball questions. Then my turn came up.

I went straight to Ted and said let's talk about fishing. His old eyes light right up and he asked me what my fishing experience was. So I told him I had caught bluefin tuna, mako and just about everything else in the North Atlantic. We both loved mako they are extraordinary fish, fast and unpredictable, jumping like all hell.

At that point I asked him what he thought was the strongest fish pound for pound fresh or saltwater. He looked at me smiling and thought for a second or two and said Steelhead! I agreed with him and he instantly asked where I had steelhead fished and I told him the great lakes. He asked me about the rod weight I preferred and how I fished for them. Finally he was satisfied that I knew what I was talking about and we spent the next twenty minutes talking about Steelhead. Most of the other guys got a few minutes at best.

How strong they are and how fast they'll take you into the backing, literally dragging you downstream or parting you off leaving you in wonder.
Yea Steelhead are all that and then some. I used a 7 weight most of the time but many times I wished I had my 10 weight!

Incredible fish!

Now thaaat sounds exciting!! Think I'll bring along a thermos of hot coffee for me, Hot cocoa for my son on the boat. Layered clothing/cap (head warmer/gloves..check on the rubber boots to keep feet dry/warm. Really looking forward to doing some fishing. Rental cabin even has a fire place. There any safety concerns with a fireplace...leave a window partially open?

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