Winter Steelhead Stoke

Olympic Peninsula winter steelheading in all its glory. Brilliant shades of green, diligent spey casts, and wetter than hell. It's a beautiful thing.

I've been wanting to say these words for some time, but I think now they are finally appropriate....winter steelhead season is upon us! For me, winter steelheading in the Pacific Northwest is what it is all about, it is my passion and the version of "fly fishing" that I hold dearest. Familiar winter steelheading scenes fill my imagination year round -- Swollen rivers carving their way through rain drenched forests, moss draped trees and ferns of every shade of green, and the sun momentarily breaking through endless rain showers sending fleeting rays of sun through the dense rain forest. I love it. Of course there is the other part of winter steelheading - numb toes, frozen fingers, endless rain, and 1000 casts just to convince myself that "maybe" I had a grab. Oddly, I love that side of it too. Some days it is downright miserable. But in this misery I have always found a strange sense of contentedness that I often struggle to find in my normal day-to-day.  I think what it really comes down to is solitude. Rain-drenched, cold, and utterly beautiful winter steelheading solitude. Yep, no doubt about it, winter steelheading stole my heart and imagination a long time ago and it doesn't look like that will be changing any time soon. 

Want to see what this whole beautiful-miserable-obsessive winter steelhead thing is all about? We are now booking Olympic Peninsula Guided Trips for the 2018 winter/spring season. Let the soggy good winter steelheading times begin!

When it all comes together...