Elwha River Fishing Guides
The Elwha is the site of the largest dam removal in American history, and the salmon and steelhead returning to its upper river are the most closely watched recovery story on the Olympic Peninsula.
Guides on the Elwha River
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About the Elwha River
The Elwha matters out of proportion to its size. Two dams built early in the twentieth century – Elwha Dam near the mouth and Glines Canyon Dam above it – cut more than seventy miles of pristine Olympic Mountain spawning habitat off from the sea for a century, and reduced one of the great Chinook runs of Puget Sound to a remnant below the lower dam. Both dams came out, Elwha in 2012 and Glines Canyon in 2014, in the largest dam removal project ever undertaken in the United States. What has happened since is the reason biologists, tribal managers and anglers watch this river so closely.
Recovery has been real and uneven. Salmon and steelhead moved above the old dam sites within the first seasons, far faster than many expected, and Chinook, coho, pink, chum, steelhead and bull trout now reach water their ancestors were shut out of for four generations. The river also had to move an enormous volume of sediment impounded behind the dams, which turned it grey and shifting for years and rebuilt the delta at the mouth. The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, whose fishery and whose creation site the dams drowned, has been central to the restoration throughout.
Anglers need to approach this river knowing that it is a recovery project first. Fishing on the Elwha was closed for years after the removals to protect recolonizing runs, and what is open has been reopened cautiously, in narrow windows, with species-specific rules that change from season to season. Check the current regulations before planning anything, and treat anything you read a year old as out of date. The gauge at McDonald Bridge reads a river with no dam above it for the first time in a century, and that free-flowing record is itself the point.
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Access
Olympic National Park - the upper river and the former Glines Canyon dam site, with trail access up the valley.
Madison Falls - a short paved trail and parking area near the park boundary on the lower river.
Altair and Elwha campground areas - park access points along the middle river road.
Glines Canyon Spillway Overlook - the former dam site, now an overlook on the restored canyon.
Port Angeles - the nearest city, the practical base for lodging, tackle and current regulation information.
Elwha delta and the Strait of Juan de Fuca - the rebuilt river mouth north of the highway.
Lower Elwha Klallam Reservation - tribal land at the mouth, where access is by tribal permission only.
Seasons
Spring: high and cold with Olympic snowmelt, with steelhead the historic draw and regulations the binding constraint.
Summer: lower and clearer, the best month to walk the river and read what the restoration has rebuilt.
Fall: the salmon season, with coho, chum and pink runs pushing above the old dam sites through the autumn rains.
Winter: high, grey and powerful with coastal rain, with the river frequently unfishable and access limited.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the Elwha River?
As of Nov 2, 6:00 am, the USGS gauge ELWHA RIVER AT MCDONALD BR NEAR PORT ANGELES, WA reads 230 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Elwha River?
Anglers target Bull Trout, Chinook Salmon, Chum Salmon, Coastal Cutthroat Trout, Coho Salmon, Dolly Varden, Pink Salmon, Rainbow Trout, Sockeye Salmon, Steelhead on the Elwha River in Washington.
Where can you access the Elwha River?
Olympic National Park - the upper river and the former Glines Canyon dam site, with trail access up the valley. Madison Falls - a short paved trail and parking area near the park boundary on the lower river. Altair and Elwha campground areas - park access points along the middle river road. Glines Canyon Spillway Overlook - the former dam site, now an overlook on the restored canyon. Port Angeles - the nearest city, the practical base for lodging, tackle and current regulation information. Elwha delta and the Strait of Juan de Fuca - the rebuilt river mouth north of the highway. Lower Elwha Kl...
When is the best time to fish the Elwha River?
Spring: high and cold with Olympic snowmelt, with steelhead the historic draw and regulations the binding constraint. Summer: lower and clearer, the best month to walk the river and read what the restoration has rebuilt. Fall: the salmon season, with coho, chum and pink runs pushing above the old dam sites through the autumn rains. Winter: high, grey and powerful with coastal rain, with the river frequently unfishable and access limited.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Elwha River?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Washington agency site: https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations