Olympic Peninsula Steelhead trip

We headed out to the coast last week to scratch that steelhead itch that so often strikes in early spring. With limited options within the state this time of year, heading west to the coast is about as good as it gets when a steelhead trip feels right.  Here is a photo blog of our short two day trip.

Coastal steelhead

The fish pictured above came with a story. After the strike, she bolted downstream straight at my fishing buddy who was working the run downstream, nearly wrapping around his legs and sending him scrambling for the bank. At the same time the extra fly line I had laying at my feet cleared the guides with alarming speed and looped around the reel, jamming tight. I sprinted downstream to keep from breaking off, at which point the fish turned around and charged back upstream straight at me. The change between running downstream and switching directions and running backwards back upstream was just too much and resulted in a nice fall backwards, frantically stripping line to keep tight the whole way down. Landing in about a foot of water, I kept my rod tip high and managed to keep tight to the fish before scrambling back to my feet. Once back up I managed to untangle the line from my reel, and after a few more spirited runs was cradling this beauty for a quick photo shoot before the release. Having my waders and wading jacket strapped tight saved my bacon, and kept water from flowing into the tops of my waders. Aside from a damp wrist, I stayed completely dry even after taking a swim in a rainforest river.

That’s coastal steelhead on the fly.  Hope you enjoy the photos from our trip.

Camping

 

Tree

Rainforest fly fishing

Coastal steelhead

Coastal steelhead

Lunch

Making the selection

Rainforest fly fishing

Rainforest fly fishing

Getting rigged

DRYFT truck

Drinking a brewski

Ocean campfire

Photos by @fsheroutofwater

Thanks for reading. -Nick


Want more steelhead fishing in your life? Check out 10,000th Cast from Waist Deep Media.

Winter steelheading on the spey (gallery)

Winter steelheading with the spey rod is all about the experience. Making the cast. Mending the line. Slight modifications to the swing to slow the fly down, get the presentation just right. Sometimes you hook up, mostly you don’t. Aside from some bull trout, this day we went fishless.

Spey casting for steelhead Spey casting for steelhead Spey casting for steelhead Spey casting for steelhead Bull trout bull trout release Spey casting for steelhead Spey casting for steelhead

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Holidays

Fishing in December - Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays to all of our customers, readers, friends and families!

Fishing in December - Happy Holidays

We’ve been hunkering down a bit lately, due to inventory shortages, but will be introducing some more shirts, hats, and new waterproof products in 2014.  Long lead times, factory backups, and high sales demand put us out of stock on most sizes and way behind on getting the most popular sizes back in. Look for new shirts and hats in January, and waders and more coming in March/April.

A huge thank you to everyone for your patronage, and for following DRYFT Fishing gear as we continue to grow and expand. Happy Holidays to all!

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Psssst, S13 CHSR Large-Long and Extra-Large are still in stock. So for all you big guys out there, take a peek as they are on sale for $179 until we get more sizes back in stock.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Black Friday Sales Event

Black Friday Sales Event - DRYFT waders and hats

20% off all hats.
20% off select waders.*
Free sticker pack with every order.
Free shipping.

Now through December 2nd 2013, receive 20% off all DRYFT hats and DRYFT waders, and get a free sticker pack with your order! All orders ship free.

Offer valid 11/22/13-12/2/13.
*20% off sizes LL and XL reflected in sale price discount. No code required, valid 11/22/13-12/2/13. More inventory & sizes available Spring 2014.