Our latest 2013 Question comes from John in New Hampshire.
“I am coming out to the Olympic Peninsula this August. I will be backpacking and want to know about fly fishing in Olympic National Park.”
The winter steelhead on the Olympic Peninsula get the most attention but the summer months offer great fishing. John didn’t mention what species he wants to target so we’re gonna give him a breakdown of the numerous summer fisheries in Olympic National Park.
The Elwha River was our go-to trout fishery prior to dam removal. It offered good fishing for native rainbows and was close to Port Angeles. The Elwha will be closed for at least another four years during the restoration. Losing our local trout fishery was tough but has forced us to explore some of the other options throughout the Park. The upper reaches of most rivers hold resident trout from the North Fork Skokomish River above Lake Cushman to the Sol Duc River above and below the falls.
The high lakes in the Olympic Mountains are well worth the sweat and sore muscles required to get to them. The short growing seasons mean the fish tend to be aggressive towards flies. They also give backpackers the option to keep a few brook trout to enjoy for lunch and/or dinner. These lakes can be found throughout the high country, but some popular areas include the Seven Lakes Basin and the lakes accessed from the Obstruction Point Road.
Lake Crescent is a beautiful lake that also holds some of the largest trout in the Park. There is both road access (Hwy. 101) and day hiking access (Spruce Railroad Trail) to the shorelines for Beardslee rainbow trout as well as cutthroat trout. A boat is helpful but not necessary. Baitfish patterns work well for the larger trout. Lake Crescent is centrally located and a great spot to wet a line when heading to and from the coastal rivers.
The coastal rivers offer summer steelhead and sea-run cutthroat fishing. There are trails along all of the larger rivers on the coast. The numbers of steelhead may not be as high as other areas of the Northwest but the solitude makes up for it. There is nothing quite like camping on a great piece of steelhead water and having it to yourself.
Then there is the fly fishing along the Pacific Ocean. The coastal strip from Shi-Shi Beach all the way to Rialto Beach is a backcountry hiking paradise. There are surf perch along the sandy beaches and cutthroat in the river mouths. The wilderness coast offers lots of unexplored water that not many people fly fish.
We hope this overview of the fly fishing opportunities within Olympic National Park isn’t overwhelming. The Park has diverse habitats and the fly fishing reflects that diversity.
John, good luck and enjoy your summer backpacking trip.