Hoh River Fishing Guides and Conditions, Washington
An Olympic Peninsula rain forest river running west from Mount Olympus past the Hoh Rain Forest to the Pacific, fished from a drift boat for wild winter steelhead and fall salmon.
Guides on the Hoh River
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About the Hoh River
The Hoh comes off the Olympus glaciers, runs through one of the few temperate rain forests in North America, and reaches the Pacific south of Forks. It is the archetype of the Olympic Peninsula steelhead river: gray-green glacial water, moss-hung maples on the banks, elk tracks on the gravel bars, and a run of wild winter steelhead that draws anglers from around the world in February and March.
Almost all serious fishing here is done from a drift boat. The standard runs are Upper Hoh Road to the Oxbow, Oxbow to Morgans Crossing, and the lower floats down toward the reservation boundary. Guides swing flies on Skagit heads or fish bait and jigs depending on their clientele, and either way the day is about covering water and reading a river that changes its channels every winter. Fall brings chinook and coho, and sea-run cutthroat fishing in late summer is a quiet, pleasant alternative to the winter grind.
The Highway 101 gauge is the one every guide checks. The Hoh rises fast in Pacific storms and carries glacial flour that keeps visibility low even when the level is dropping. Anglers watch for a falling river with two to four feet of visibility; a rising river or a heavy melt event is a lost day. The peninsula gets a great deal of rain, and multi-day trips here are planned around that reality rather than in spite of it.
Forks is the base for everything, with lodging, boat launches and outfitters. The lower river runs through the Hoh Indian Reservation, where tribal regulations apply.
Access
Upper Hoh Road and the Hoh Rain Forest (Olympic National Park): upper river access and campground.
Willoughby Creek and Minnie Peterson: upper river campgrounds and launches.
Morgans Crossing: Department of Natural Resources access on the upper river.
Oxbow Campground: mid-river launch.
Cottonwood Recreation Site: lower river access downstream of Highway 101.
Below the reservation boundary tribal regulations apply; check before fishing the lower river.
Seasons
December through April: wild winter steelhead, the main season; check current retention and season rules.
May and June: high water from snowmelt, limited fishing.
July through September: sea-run cutthroat, low clear water, quiet river.
September through November: fall chinook and coho, storm-driven flows.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the Hoh River?
As of Sep 3, 10:15 pm, the USGS gauge HOH RIVER AT US HIGHWAY 101 NEAR FORKS, WA reads 1,500 cfs, the 78th percentile for this date. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Hoh River?
Anglers target Bull Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Sea-run Cutthroat Trout, Steelhead on the Hoh River in Washington.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Hoh River?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Washington agency site: https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations