Well, I had the sense that my dear wife would yank be out of steelhead nirvana the whole time I lived there so I made hay.
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Yes, I have taken 112 to sample the Pyscht, Sekiu, and Hoko Rivers but I do not have an extensive knowledge of any of them. I usually get lulled by the Elwha and the next stop is the Sol Duc for me, on the way to the Hoh.
I camped at the mouth of the Pyscht and fished for steelhead coming in with the high tide. It was exciting, and one even rested in the pocket I was standing in. With a fly rod swinging a fly, it's a tough river. With a bobber and jig you'd clean up. It's tiny, but there's a certain magic to it. You can only fish it every other day, or something like that. The camp ground keeper is a great guy he was surfing the web in the little trailer home when I met him. I'd like to investigate it more but it's not the best fly river unless you are a good pocket water angler.
I fished the Sekiu a few times. Up from the mouth, there is a dirt road where you park at a gate. You walk up from the gate and there is a sweet holding pool. It's best fished from the far bank, and the river is usually easy to cross below the pool. If there are fish in the river you won't be alone, but there is typically plenty of room and I landed a nice fish in the tailout while the corky drifters worked the top of the hole. They were landing a few nice ones too. The fish I landed appeared to be an unclipped hatchery hen (Indian hatchery?), or else it had fin problems when it was a smolt. I released it. You can poke around and might find a few nice pools, but this pool was by far the hot spot. It reminds me of the Skookumchuck in size in spring flows. Most of it doesn't hold enough water to provide long term holding lies for steelhead so you need to find the hold water between runs and riffles. I suppose you could fish the tides when they are entering with success. That would be a game for locals.
The Hoko requires a lot of work and research to learn correctly. There are a few great holes that are accessible in the lower stretch but you can cover them quickly and I understand the premium water is upriver. It is a river that hides a lot of good water behind obscure roads and wooded accesses, which makes me desire to fish it more as well. To answer yor question, I can't say I am a Hoko experienced angler. There was a guide who specialized in 4x4 access to the upper Hoko... can't recall his name.
Ever tried the upper Skookumchuck?
Yes, I have taken 112 to sample the Pyscht, Sekiu, and Hoko Rivers but I do not have an extensive knowledge of any of them. I usually get lulled by the Elwha and the next stop is the Sol Duc for me, on the way to the Hoh.
I camped at the mouth of the Pyscht and fished for steelhead coming in with the high tide. It was exciting, and one even rested in the pocket I was standing in. With a fly rod swinging a fly, it's a tough river. With a bobber and jig you'd clean up. It's tiny, but there's a certain magic to it. You can only fish it every other day, or something like that. The camp ground keeper is a great guy he was surfing the web in the little trailer home when I met him. I'd like to investigate it more but it's not the best fly river unless you are a good pocket water angler.
I fished the Sekiu a few times. Up from the mouth, there is a dirt road where you park at a gate. You walk up from the gate and there is a sweet holding pool. It's best fished from the far bank, and the river is usually easy to cross below the pool. If there are fish in the river you won't be alone, but there is typically plenty of room and I landed a nice fish in the tailout while the corky drifters worked the top of the hole. They were landing a few nice ones too. The fish I landed appeared to be an unclipped hatchery hen (Indian hatchery?), or else it had fin problems when it was a smolt. I released it. You can poke around and might find a few nice pools, but this pool was by far the hot spot. It reminds me of the Skookumchuck in size in spring flows. Most of it doesn't hold enough water to provide long term holding lies for steelhead so you need to find the hold water between runs and riffles. I suppose you could fish the tides when they are entering with success. That would be a game for locals.
The Hoko requires a lot of work and research to learn correctly. There are a few great holes that are accessible in the lower stretch but you can cover them quickly and I understand the premium water is upriver. It is a river that hides a lot of good water behind obscure roads and wooded accesses, which makes me desire to fish it more as well. To answer yor question, I can't say I am a Hoko experienced angler. There was a guide who specialized in 4x4 access to the upper Hoko... can't recall his name.
Ever tried the upper Skookumchuck?
