I'd like to know if anyone (be honest now) caught a steelhead on a fly this past weekend (Feb 10-13) anywhere on the peninsula (especially the Hoh). I've heard lots of advice and read lots of reports/stories/articles but have yet to witness any success first hand. As for the upper Bogie, come on? I just don't believe very many native fish make it that far through the nets and corkies, just lots of clear empty water that looks great. Before a trip everyone has been quick to assure me with "yea, there should be fish there" and everytime after hitting the rivers the story changes to, "you were probably too early, or too late." Somebody tell me different! I'm listening.

Hey Old Chum you are right there are no natives in the upper Bogge waters to clear no use wasting your time!

Old Chum,

Well you ole' dog you, you would try to elicit a confession, eh? I haven't been to the coast yet this season, maybe this weekend. But here's how it goes among my small circle of fly fishing friends. We get our native steelhead on flies in the Sol Duc and the Hoh. Hatchery fish from the Bogie, yes, but rarely a native, at least in recent memory. Not sure why that is, but those are our collective results. And it's a funny distribution, too. The Sol Duc isn't classic winter fly water for the most part - but it does get a hell of a native run. So fishing where the fish are usually always makes good sense. And the Hoh has much classic fly water, but it's so often murky, not great conditions for a sight feeder. And so it goes. Two rivers with good steelhead runs, but generally poorer fly fishing conditions account for most of our catch. Hmmm, so what'd I say? Fish where the fish are. Good looking water won't produce many fish if it's empty.

Now watch the patron saints of the Bogey come tell us about all the natives they catch in the Bogey. Truth be told, I just wish I had the time to give all the rivers a decent sampling. Not easy to do in just one lifetime.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

Well, I've only fished the bogie with eggs, never a fly, so couldn't tell you if they hit on flies or not. The Hoh is an excellent fly river. It does get murky, but there still are a few spots that stay fairly visible enough to drift a fly through. I have NOT fished the Hoh this year. I haven't done much fishing this year (Thanks to my doctors orders to refrain from running my cataraft, damned I hate being on disibility and not being able to fish) I prefer to drift rivers so you can cover alot of water and see alot more places to drift then if you just run the banks. So far I've been able to catch nat's or hatchery fish on a fly, just depends on if you're in the right place at the right time. You have to figure there's ALWAYS fish in a river, you just have to be WHERE they're laying and hope they're biting. (Shall I say there's always fish in a river that has summer/winter steelies and multiple salmon species running in it)

Good luck and tightlines.............

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Thanks for the replies. I guess there is some comfort knowing that there are others of you out there that share some of the same sentiments about the Bogy. Maybe next year.