The Avid Angler

The Avid Angler guides the two rivers closest to Seattle, both draining the central Cascades – the Skykomish, which the shop calls Seattle’s home water and which forms at Index where the north and south forks meet, and the Snoqualmie, whose south, middle and north forks join at the town of Snoqualmie. Both are 45 minutes to an hour from the city. A full-day float is $650 for one or two anglers, a full-day walk-and-wade $535 and a half-day walk-and-wade $435, each taking additional rods at $150. Rental gear, flies, leader and tippet, lunch and beverages are included. Winter and summer steelhead, salmon and sea-run cutthroat fill the calendar, with steelhead and salmon closing at the end of February.