The Fishing Corner

By Larry Dublanko

The months of December and January are clearly the most productive times to catch steelhead on the Olympic Peninsula. The catch record report from the Department of Fish and Wildlife verifies the statement.

According to the Steelhead Sport Catch Report, it all depends which river is closer to the ocean to tip the scales to December or January.

For example, the Humptulips River which is closest to the ocean has a better yield in December than in January. The numbers drop off drastically when it comes to the months of February and March.

The Wynooche River, on the other hand, has good numbers for December, but they increase significantly for January and even into the month of February.

The Satsop River numbers start off slowly in December and climb significantly in January. They tend to keep moving up by the time February rolls around but drop off in March.

The Humptulips River and Wynooche River numbers drop off in marked fashion for March as well. This becomes the trend for most all our rivers which proves the point that the prime time for hatchery steelhead is December, January and February. Another conclusion would be your success for December is always better in coastal rivers. Furthermore, inland rivers will give anglers more opportunity to catch a steelhead later in the season. So, mid-January puts us at a very good time frame to catch steelhead.

Anglers should find steelhead in the upper parts of the Humptulips River, and rivers such as the Satsop River and Wynooche River will likely accommodate steelhead in the lower to middle portions of these streams throughout January. Catch opportunities would move further upstream on these rivers in the month of February or until the season ends.

This pattern should hold true for hatchery steelhead. Late February and March are the months when anglers could expect wild fish. Of course, these fish must be released throughout the state of Washington.

Some rivers to the north of us which produce good runs of hatchery steelhead include the Queets, Quillayute and Hoh river systems. Each of these systems, which include a number of contributing rivers, has a strong number total for the month of January. The totals begin to drop off into February.

The best production total for rivers to the south of us come from the Naselle River System. These totals are the highest in December and begin to drop off for January. The overall totals for this river system are considerably lower than the rivers in Grays Harbor.

Fishing by the numbers is a good way to manage your fishing outings. This is particularly true with the fast pace society we live in. Everyone wants to maximize their efforts in terms of catch ratios.

On the other hand, there is much to be said about simply enjoying the outdoors. Hooking a fish is only a bonus to an already good day whether done with a fishing friend or alone tucked away with the sounds of moving water.