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Trout and Timber has a huge portfolio, but we can't do it all. That's where we leave it to Nate Mcdonough and (Coming Soon!) Outfitters. Nate's a Washington native, and head guide at Bristol Bay Lodge in Alaska. Once the Alaskan season runs down, Nate returns to Washington to brush the dust of the two handers in pursuit of the chrome bellied sea kittens (Steelhead).

Forrest Smith has spent multiple seasons chasing Steel with Nate. Hands down, there's no other outfit more able to put sports on anadromous fish than (Coming Soon!) Outfitters. We have set up hosted trips; one for the fall run, and one for the winter run, but anglers are welcome to go at any time. Here's a breakdown of the fishing:

Beginning in January, the remote streams on Washington's Olympic Peninsula begin to fill with some of the last remaining runs of wild winter steelhead in the world. This is textbook steelhead fishing and the subject of fishing folklore by writers such as Roderick Haig-Brown. The rivers are wild, the fish are bright as they come and full of piss and vinegar. You won't find a hotter freshwater fish, period.

From January through April, we fish a variety of streams on the Olympic Peninsula. By using a mix of nymphing and swinging techniques, we're able to cover a lot of water very effectively and enjoy daily success on wild fish hooked. After experiencing this trip for the first time, these rivers and their fish will haunt you forever.

Sol Duc River

The Sol Duc (Quileute for "sparkling water') begins in the Seven Lakes Basin in Olympic National Park and surges downstream over countless drops and boulder-strewn staircases to its confluence with the Bogachiel River (the combined rivers become known as the Quillayute).

The river has a long angling history and has several famous fly patterns named after it that were originally tied by fly fishing legend Syd Glasso who lived and taught in the town of Forks for some time.

"The Duc" is very unique in comparison to the typical, more freestone coastal streams in the area. The Duc is mainly pocket water with boulder-strewn runs and lots of nook-and-cranny pockets suited for swinging as well. Its runs are loaded with structure, shade, and come January-ghostly steelhead. This river provides great adventure with some good whitewater especially in its upper drifts.

Calawah River

Calawah (pronounced Ka' law wah) means "middle river" in Quileute, referring to the river's placement in between the Sol Duc and Bogachiel Rivers located just a few miles away.

The Calawah receives relatively light fishing pressure compared to other rivers in the area due to its heavy whitewater. This is a fast, high-gradient stream with great pocket water for nymphing and some beautiful swinging runs as well. The Calawah doesn't get the largest run of wild fish, but the fish that do return here to spawn are some of the biggest on the entire west coast of the US, with many 30lb. Steelhead caught here over the years. The Calawah in a nutshell: big, nasty water and big, nasty fish.

Bogachiel River

The Bogachiel is the "bunny hill" of the region's rivers. "The Bogy" meanders from its origins deep in the Olympic National Park, where it flows through miles of old-growth rainforest. The river is best known amongst anglers for its large run of hatchery steelhead which peak in January, with the bulk of its wild runs returning February through April. The upper reaches of the Bogy is characterized by small "rock gardens" nestled between some of the finest fly fishing water on the Peninsula. These long, gentle runs are well-suited to swinging flies and spey rods. The Bogy joins the Sol Duc to form the Quillayute River a few miles above tidewater.

Hoh River

The Hoh (thought to mean "fast white water" or "snow water") is Mother Nature's version of Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde. Often changing its course by hundreds of yards after a heavy rain, the shifts in the riverbed are only part of this river's multi-faceted character.

The Hoh flows from Olympic National Park and meanders through ancient glacial deposits and enormous log jams for most of its length. Ten miles upstream of the ocean, the Hoh drops into a deep gorge known as the canyon stretch. The Hoh's wide gravel bars are as massive as the trees that make up its giant logjams. These logjams are evidence of the power of this river during flood stage, when its viscous currents pick up old-growth trees and stack them like toothpicks. The Hoh's logjams also provide very fishy structure, with many big fished pulled from (and lost to) submerged woodpiles.

Some of the most intense Steelheading on this planet takes place on the lower Hoh from February through April. When conditions are right, this is as hot a fish and as hot as Steelheading gets. We've had many epic double-digit days of fish hooked just a couple miles from tide-water under these circumstances. Freshwater fish don't get hotter than these chrome beauties. Come experience it for yourself next spring!

Fall Steelhead

By August, summer Steelhead begin flooding the Columbia River with one goal in mind: return to the tributary of their birth. Fall Steelheading is a beautiful thing- great weather, good numbers of fish, floating lines, and feisty steelhead. In comparison to its winter counterpart, summer or fall Steelheading offers higher numbers of fish that average a bit smaller (6-10lbs) than their winter cousins. That being said, there are plenty of fish in the upper teens to be had while throwing flies in the fall. We fish several rivers on the dry-side of Washington that provide intense action on swung flies and nymph-rigs, although we prefer to swing flies for these fish. The water temps are warm this time of year and these fish are very grabby, providing some of the hardest takes possible with freshwater fish. Enjoy the sunshine, the warm weather, smell the sage, listen to the songbirds, and rope grabby Steelhead on the fly. What could possibly be better?

The Wenatchee

Just two and a half hours from Seattle, the Wenatchee flows from the Cascades east to the Columbia. The fishable stretch of the river begins near the Bavarian town of Leavenworth, in what's known as the Alps of the Cascades. This charming little tourist town is full of quaint shops, fantastic restaurants, and GREAT beer. From Leavenworth, the Wenatchee's broad runs and boulder patches wind through the Wenatchee Valley, famous for its apples and wine. Rolling sagebrush, orchards, vineyards, basalt cliffs, and groves of ponderosa pines make this a very scenic river to fish as well.

What used to be known as the best steelhead fly fishing river in Washington is now reopened after a closure that lasted over a decade. Last fall on the Wenatchee could be described with one word- EPIC. Low water and tricky rapids make this river tough to float, and with little bank access, we had much of the river all to ourselves. Day after day we had double digit numbers of fish to the net by lunchtime. These are steelhead, mind you…double-digit days on steelhead! These fish average 6-10lbs with many fish landed in the teens as well. These fish are grabby as steelhead can be and feisty as ever when hooked. There's no catch here, just lots of wild fish on the fly. Come experience it for yourself this fall.

The Klickitat

The Klickitat River pours off a glacier on Mt. Adams in the Cascades and drains into the Columbia in south-central Washington. This wild and scenic river is about as pretty as it gets out west. The Klickitat cuts through basalt cliffs with rolling sagebrush and scrub oak blanketing its canyon walls. Eagles, turkeys, mule-deer, elk, black bear, and cougars are all present while floating the Klickitat and make for some great wildlife viewing as well. This is an extremely wild place with a large return of both wild and hatchery steelhead. We fish the "Klick" using both indicator tactics as well as the swung fly.

The Klick is located about 4 hours from Seattle and just 2.5 hours from Portland. We typically fish 10-12 miles of river per day. The river also gets an insane fall run of King Salmon, which provide some great "accidental" action as well.