Hoh River, Washington

Each river has its own look, feel, smells and sounds.  A Ruffed Grouse drummed in the early morning twilight.  The river current was the the perfect shape, speed and depth to work the fly to

its best advantage.  There was a tug...tug.....pull.  I dropped the shock loop, then swung the rod low towards the near bank and was rewarded with the sound of my reel giving line into the  backing.  The heavy fish fought dogged and deep.  Finally she was slid into the shallow edge water too exhausted to resist.  My eyes said 34" and with tremendous girth.  The hook was removed and the beautiful hen steelhead was slid into deeper water where she recovered quickly, wrenched  free from my hand and dissolved into the depths of the turquoise water.  These were my first impressions of the Olympic Peninsula's Hoh River.  The Hoh River is born on the flanks

of Mount Olympus, the Olympic Peninsula's highest peak and the heart of the Olympic National Park.   The Hoh River is made up of severl branches. The North Fork, which is fed by Mt. Tom Glacier and the South fork, fed by Humes Glacier give the Hoh its turquoise color in winter and

nearly white color during the hot months of summer. The river is also joined by several smaller clear streams as it travels its 50 miles to the Pacific Ocean. For much of its descent to the Ocean the river flows through the Hoh Rain Forest, one of the few temperate rain forests in the world.  Inside the Olympic National Park the rainforest is still virgin, having been protected from logging.

In 1897 President Grover Cleveland created the Olympic Forest Reserve, a portion of which President Theodore Roosevelt designated a national monument in 1909. In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed legislation creating Olympic National Park and in 1988 nearly 96 percent of the park was designated as wilderness. The size of Sitka spruce and Western Red Cedar trees can reach immense proportions.  Outside the park the effects of logging are very apparent, but the river valley is well covered with second growth Douglas Fir tree farms. Trees thrive and

grow fast   in the nearly 170 inches per year precipitation.  Outside the park, the Hoh River channel is very wide, low gradient and braided.  Giant tree trunks litter the wide gravel bars and in places log jams provide cover for adult and juvenile fish.  If I were to design the perfect river for wading and Spey rod fly fishing, it would look just like the Hoh.  The shore line always tapers gently from a wide gravel bar on one side of each steelhead run.  The gravel in the stream bed is small and even in contour.  There is enough color to the water to give fish confidence.  I fished the Hoh for two easy sessions and landed two bright steelhead each day.  A Rio Skagit line and standard 15' type-8 tip with an un-weighted tube fly were the answers for both days.  Three fish were caught with a Sandy Blue and the other was caught with a Sandy Candy. 

The head designer from one of the more famous reel companies had called and grilled me about what I thought would be the perfect Spey reel.  We discussed capacity, weight and cosmetics.  I added that a waterproof drag was essential, since spey reels spend a lot of time under water and a lot of time in the rain.  Well evidently the guy wasn't listening, because their new reel turned out to be a rehash of the same old "born to break down" design flaws.  I doesn't matter. Sage must have had my phone tapped because they built the reel I asked for.  After a full season of continuous hard use I haven't had to re-adjust the drag on my 3600D, even one time while steelhead fishing! I did change the drag pressure when

3000D Reel  (Possibly the ultimate fly reel)
Designed for 5- through 10-weight fly rods, these drag reels have a powerful multi-disk drag that can be used for trout, salmon and steelhead fishing as well as saltwater applications.
The drag system is enclosed in a totally waterproof cylinder; a huge advantage in situations where the reel gets submerged. 
The 3600D is a favorite steelhead/spey reel.

3300D Reel
This powerful disk drag can be used for both trout fishing and light saltwater applications. It performs remarkably well with 5- and 6-line rods. "3300D Reels".
3400D Reel
When fishing for large trout, medium salmon, stripers or bonefish, this reel is lightweight yet heavy duty. It is recommended for use with 7- and 8-line rods. "3400D Reels".
3500D Reel
This drag reel is ideal for medium to large fish such as Atlantic salmon, steelhead and many saltwater species. It's designed to perform with 9- and 10-line rods. "3500D Reels".
3600D Reel 
With the stopping power for big game fish and the capacity for your favorite Spey line, this reel is built to get the job done.  11- to 12- weight single- handed lines or any Spey line.

Model

Line

Backing

Flies tied on lightweight, soft plastic tubes are proven for salmon and steelhead.  Being very light in weight allows them to move more freely in the currents and give a fly more action.  Since they are soft, fish seem to hang onto them longer than hard plastic or metal tubes.  Soft plastic tubes often reveal assorted teeth marks after your fish is landed.  This discloses

Fly Fishing Packs
...to keep your gear safe and well organized...

Abel

Sage

Simms

Protect your gear from the elements!