First Off,
Thanks to all for the warm welcome!
I have booked a steelhead trip to the Quinalt river in early march.
I'll be fishing with Letty Potter.
I've never been there, but have heard that it puts out some hawgs!
I've heard that it gets blown out very easily and is pretty tough to fish.
Any thoughts?

A guys best shot at a true Ottis during March in Washington is probably on the lower Quinalt, so in that respect, you booked wisely. I've heard great things of Letty Potter, too. On the flip side, if the river does get blown-out due to a lake slide like last year, visability will be -3 inches indefinately and you'll be better off elsewhere. Good luck.

Letty is a great guide and if she suspects the river will be blown out for your day on the river she'll usually call you before you head down and try to re-schedule.

Yeah, and if you don't bring spark plugs and treble hooks to make your Concrete spinners, she'll have em ready for ya at no additional cost!

I have fished with Letty a couple of times a few years ago. She will get you into fish if they are there. If I remember right her Husband works at The Hatchery as a Biologist so she knows when and where.
Ramprat

You should do well. Good time to be on the lower Quinault to boot.

I hope the weather works out for you.

I tried to book with Letty this fall but she was full up. She went the extra mile and hooked me up with her nephew it was great FIsh ON! The Quinalut is a great fishery.

Spartan, not sure what you mean by your comment. Are you trying to be funny?? Please explain.

Aw Hell, It really wouldn't bother me if she did use spark plugs.
Me & my buddy are gonna bring all our own goodies anyway.

What kind of river is the lower Quinalt?
Does it have good gravel runs?
Is it heavily vegetated?
Are there stretches where you could park the boat and work individual riffles?
Thanks for all the input guys!

Spark plug and a treble hook = Concrete spinner.

Lets say the fish aren't exactly cooperating and not biting but you can see em all over. They will spook the fish to you so you can "grip it and rip it" and "hook" into some fish.

Not really so much with the Steelhead but the Silvers and Kings I know this goes on for certain.

It can be a little snaggy down below 101 bridge.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

Most of the riverbottom was not visible my last time on the lower Q.

We used a variety of techniques, but bobberdoggin' worked the best for me on my March trip two years ago. Also called Fly doggin', you set the depth on a slip float about 2' deeper (float to weight distance, not float to hook) than the deepest section you are fishing in a particular drift. Add a bait of eggs and hold on. Oh yeah, you should be using about 3" of 3/16" leadcore.

We also used jigs and straight drift gear to catch our share of nice fish.

Have fun! I fished with Letty a few times, and always had a nice trip. Levi is also a good guide who will work hard for the fish. Inky is downright hilarious, just don't reach for the fish knocker without looking.

It's a very jagged bouldery river. Expect to lose many set ups. Tie up plenty of rivers, bring multiple rods for multiple techniques, and you'll do fine.

The river is heavily netted so your goal for the day is to find the push of fish that made it through the nets yesterday. Once you find them, fishing usually is pretty good. If you don't find them, it's hit and miss for fish. They are usually all over the place, but you really want the big push of fresh fish. Expect at least half of your fish to be chrome bright down river fish.

It's more rocky than gravely. Pretty snaggy if you drag bait on the bottom. Even if you Flydogg, you can expect to actually lose a set up or two, as those rocks have a way of just gabbing your stuff and not letting go.

Only on the banks. Many fallen timbers in the river, but that's a good thing. Pitch your bait behind every rock and log, and you'll find fish. The big mean natives hide under those fallen trees. A lof of the "No guts, no glory" type slots are where the big fish sit. Don't be afraid to lose some gear and fish in the tight, fast pockets.

The longer, slower drifts usually tend to put out the spawners.

Yes, but not many and they are not all that large. You are far better off working the water from a moving boat. Move until you find fish.

Unless you know you are sitting on a ton of fish, I'd be pissed at any guide that stopped, anchored up, and hammered on a slot because that's all they know how to do. IE, I'd be pissed if I was just forced to fish the mouth of Cook Creek in March. Make 'em work for their money.

No problem. Here are the techniques that I have used on that river since 1996.

#1). Drag bait. Tie up a standard drift fishing rig and do a modified boondogging and/or bait dragging method.

#2). Flydogging. It works, but the Quinault varies in depth too much to truly make this technique very effective. I find flydogging too much of pain on this river. You are constantly changing the float depth for every slot, nook, and cranny. I'd say use technique #1.

#3). Float and jig. Always a good technique to use if you get tired of replacing all the rigs you lost from #1. Good technique to use in the frog water and slower, deeper holes.

Any eggs will work. These fish are not picky. Orange seems to be a good color to compliment you bait with. Orange corkies with the red dots/stripes and orange yarn are good compliments if the water is high and dirty.

The fish are not line shy until the water is very low and clear. I use a 12/10 combo with no problem. The guide I fish with uses something like a 15/12 combo. If the water is clear and low, I'd drop down to a 10/8. You'll lose plenty of fish, but at least you'll hook them.

As for snagging - kinda tough to do for steelhead. If you can see them "rolling around", as the above mentioned, that means there are a ton of fish there and they will bite. I think the snagging bit is more for the fall salmon fishery.

Fishing the Quinault in March is VERY hit and miss. It's been more of a MISS than a HIT. They pods of fresh fish are hard to find and the river is blown out more often than not. But, if it all comes together and you get that nice emerald green river running at 3,000 cfs, it can be a slaughter.

Good luck and keep thinking of that 30 pounder that frequents that river!

THANK YOU!
Wow Parker, thanks for taking the time to elaborate!
Got a second to tell me about that Hawg in your avatar?

Unfortunately for you, I don't think Letty fishes the Queets. That is usually the first place I want to fish in March. If the Queets is out, than it's the Quinault.

That fish was caught on Easter last spring on the Queets. Taped out 39x22. Not very long, but really big shoulders. I think the fish calculators put it in the 23-25 pound class.

My very first fish off of the Quinault was a 27 pound buck in 1996. I don't recall the exact measurements, but it was at least 43" long. No idea on the girth. I was young, dumb, and bonked it. Never did end up on my wall. A waste. Photos of it, and many other steelies can be found at:

Parker\'s Steelhead Gallery

There are a few Quinault fish up there for you to look/drool over. Probably will cause many a sleepless night from now until March!

Parker likes to go guided.

I'll wean him from the "sure thing" one of these days.

I don't know about all that. I just huck my sh*t out there like everyone else.

I do the guided thing on the Quinault and usually once a year with Bob for salmon and steelies.

I might fish with other "guides" just to fish with, but hey, it's not my fault that all my fellow fishing buddies are "guides".

The salmon trip with Bob is for the benefit of my Dad.

The two spring steelie trips (Bob & Tribal) are for my benefit. A treat to myself.

It just so happens that my fishing time has seriously gone down the toilet lately. Only going to get worse when "The Boy" arrives.

I have not fished much lately. Alone, guided, or with a "guide".

Oh yeah, and Dad has ponied up for us to fish with Bob this summer on the Kasilof! Wooo! If Dad is paying, I'm fishing! How could I say no to that?!

Just razzin' ya, bud.

I just called Letty and added another trip.
January 25 - 29th for a shot at those big hatchery fish.
Hope it aint' blown out.