72 Microseasons of the Pacific Northwest

Winter steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss, the sea-run rainbow trout) begin entering Pacific Northwest rivers with the first high water events of late November, and the wild Olympic Peninsula rivers — the Hoh, Sol Duc, Bogachiel, Queets, and Calawah — are among the most important wild winter steelhead rivers in the world. These fish have spent two years in the ocean growing to 8–20 pounds, and they return to the rivers of their birth silver-bright and powerful, surging upstream through standing waves and chute rapids in water just barely clear enough to see them. Unlike spring and summer steelhead runs elsewhere, Olympic Peninsula winter steelhead move into rivers in relatively small numbers starting in November and December, building through January and February. They are notoriously difficult to catch, which has made them legendary among fly anglers; their rivers — many originating inside Olympic National Park — are among the last places where wild winter steelhead are still abundant. The Hoh commonly holds wild winter-run fish in the 15–20 pound range. Much of the upper Hoh drainage is protected spawning habitat within the park, which is why these runs remain relatively strong. Viewing wild steelhead directly requires some effort — they move through fast, turbid water and are less visible than spawning salmon. The best chance for direct observation is from bridges or at shallow gravel bars during periods of lower, clearer flow between storms. Guides operating on the Sol Duc, Hoh, and Queets offer floats in drift boats that allow close approach to holding fish in pools. Bald eagles and river otters follow these fish runs as well, and the rivers in late November have a particular wild beauty — turbulent grey-green water, yellow-leaved alder galleries, and the driving rain of the outer coast.