Washington

Bogachiel River

Washington·Olympic Peninsula·47.91° N, 124.43° W

Steelhead & salmon

Run	Months	Peak	Now
Coho	Sep–Nov	Oct	Peak
Fall Chinook	Sep–Nov	–	In
Winter steelhead	Nov–Mar	Dec–Feb	From Nov
Summer steelhead	Jun–Sep	–	From Jun

Run timing is a guide, and seasons, closures and limits change. Check the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife — Coastal Steelhead Management before you fish.

Solunar · next 7 days

About Bogachiel River

The Bogachiel is the easy one, and that is both its strength and its problem. Of the West End rivers around Forks it has the most access — three improved boat ramps, rare on the Peninsula, plus Bogachiel State Park on Highway 101 — and the least technical water, long gravel runs and soft tailouts that a new rower can handle. It is rain-fed rather than glacial, so it colors up fast in a storm (the name comes from Quileute words for muddy water) but drops and greens up well ahead of the Hoh. When everything on the coast is high, the Bogachiel is often the first river back in shape. It is also the most crowded river on the north coast, for the same reasons.

The draw is winter steelhead, in two waves. Hatchery fish returning to the rearing ponds off Bogachiel Way start showing in late November and peak in December and January, when the Hatchery to Wilson's drift fills with boats. Wild fish follow from February into March, and they are larger: some of the biggest steelhead on the Peninsula push into the upper river late in the season. Under the permanent coastal rules that took effect in 2026, the season now ends March 31, so the April wild-fish water is gone. Fall brings coho and Chinook, and summer brings a small run of summer steelhead and sea-run cutthroat in low, clear water.

Read the flows at the Forks gauge near the Highway 101 bridge. The drift boats like roughly 1,200 to 2,000 CFS; wading is easier toward the low end of the range, and below about 700 the fish get spooky in the clear water. Above about 3,500 the river is high and colored and the lower drifts suffer first, since they carry the Calawah's water too. The classic day is on the drop after a storm, when the water is falling and greening. Swing Intruders and leeches in black and blue or pink and purple in the green window, and go to beads and egg patterns when it is up and off-color.

Species

Winter Steelhead
Primary (hatchery and wild) · Dec-Mar (hatchery Dec-Jan, wild Feb-Mar) · 6-20+ lb (hatchery avg 6-8)
A large hatchery run returns to the rearing ponds below Forks from late November, peaking in December and January. Wild fish follow from February into March and run bigger. Keep hatchery (adipose-clipped) fish under the statewide steelhead limit; release every wild steelhead. The season now closes March 31.
Steelhead (summer-run)
Minor run · Jun-Sep · 5-10 lb
A small summer run in low, clear water. Long leaders and small flies in the morning shade. A side game to the winter fishery, not a reason to drive out.
Coho Salmon
Common · Sep-Nov · 6-12 lb
The best fall fly target. Strip or swing chartreuse and pink flies to holding coho from the hatchery down to Leyendecker.
Chinook Salmon (fall run)
Present · Sep-Nov · 10-30 lb
Fall kings come in with the first fall rains. Salmon seasons and wild-fish rules on the Quillayute system change by emergency rule, so check before you keep one.
Coastal Cutthroat Trout
Common · Jul-Oct · 8-18"
Sea-run cutthroat in late summer and early fall, on a 5- or 6-weight with small streamers and soft hackles. Release cutthroat from November through March.
Bull Trout
Present (native char) · Varies · Varies
Native bull trout and Dolly Varden are protected. Release any you hook, and do not target them inside the Park.

Species	Abundance	Best Season	Size
Winter Steelhead	Primary (hatchery and wild)	Dec-Mar (hatchery Dec-Jan, wild Feb-Mar)	6-20+ lb (hatchery avg 6-8)
Steelhead (summer-run)	Minor run	Jun-Sep	5-10 lb
Coho Salmon	Common	Sep-Nov	6-12 lb
Chinook Salmon (fall run)	Present	Sep-Nov	10-30 lb
Coastal Cutthroat Trout	Common	Jul-Oct	8-18"
Bull Trout	Present (native char)	Varies	Varies

Sections

4 reaches

Highway 101 to the Hatchery

Wade & FloatSteelhead · Salmon

From Bogachiel State Park at the Highway 101 bridge down to the rearing-pond ramp off Bogachiel Way. The state park has no ramp, so boats use unimproved launches near the bridge. The river flattens out here into long runs and gravel tailouts with little technical water, an easy row for a new oarsman. It fishes for winter steelhead from December on, and for coho and fall Chinook salmon in the fall. Bank anglers work the water near the state park and the ponds.

Best for: Winter steelhead on the swing or under an indicator, and fall coho salmon. A gentle first float for new rowers.

Hatchery to Wilson's

FloatSteelhead · Salmon

Three to four miles from the rearing-pond ramp, just above the Calawah's mouth, to the Wilson ramp off La Push Road. This is the busiest water on the Bogachiel: hatchery winter steelhead return to the ponds, so December and January bring a crowd of boats and bank anglers. It gets the Calawah's water too, so it runs bigger and colors faster than the reach above. Expect company, start early, and swing the runs others pass by.

Best for: Hatchery winter steelhead in December and January, plus coho and fall Chinook salmon. The most fish and the most people.

Wilson's to Leyendecker

FloatSteelhead · Salmon

The last five miles to Leyendecker Park, where the Bogachiel meets the Sol Duc to form the Quillayute. The gradient drops and the river slows into long, soft pools and walking-pace swing water, with a concrete ramp at the take-out. Fresh winter steelhead and fall coho and Chinook salmon move through here first on their way upstream, and it is an easy float with good fly water and fewer boats than the drift above.

Best for: Fresh winter steelhead and fall coho salmon on a slow swing. An easy float with a good ramp at the end.

Upper Bogachiel — Park boundary to Highway 101

WadeSteelhead · Cutthroat · Rainbow Trout

Above the Highway 101 bridge the Bogachiel is a smaller, faster river of boulder pockets and short runs between rock gardens, reached off Undi Road and the Bogachiel Rain Forest trail. Few boats run it, so it is walk-and-wade water, and it is where some of the river's largest wild winter steelhead hold late in the season. Bait is banned from the bridge up to the Park boundary; above the boundary, Olympic National Park rules apply. Slides upstream can color this reach after rain when the lower river is still green.

Best for: Wild winter steelhead late in the season on the swing, for anglers willing to walk. Summer cutthroat trout in the pocket water.

At a glance

Ideal wading flow: 700–2,000 cfs
Blow-out: >3,500 cfs
Ideal water temp: 40–52°F

Best seasons

December and January for hatchery winter steelhead, when the river is at its most crowded; February and March for the larger wild fish, until the season closes March 31. September through November for coho and fall Chinook. Read the Forks gauge: about 1,200 to 2,000 CFS is the drift-boat window, wading is easier toward 700 to 1,200, and above about 3,500 the river is high and dirty. Because it is rain-fed and not glacial, it clears faster than the Hoh, so it is often the first West End river to fish after a storm. Fish it on the drop, not on the rise.

Regulations

The Bogachiel runs under WDFW's permanent coastal steelhead rules, finalized in November 2025 and in force from February 2026. Below the Highway 101 bridge it is open from the Saturday before Memorial Day through March 31; above the bridge to the Olympic National Park boundary the same season applies with no bait at any time. Inside the Park, Park rules apply. Coastal seasons still change by emergency rule, so check the WDFW emergency rules before every trip.

One single-point barbless hook only
No fishing from a boat with an internal combustion motor
Mouth to Highway 101 bridge: open the Saturday before Memorial Day through March 31; bait banned through August 31 and again January 1 through March 31
Highway 101 bridge to the Olympic National Park boundary: same season, no bait
Release all wild steelhead (adipose fin present); hatchery steelhead may be kept under the statewide limit
Release cutthroat trout November 1 through March 31; 14-inch minimum the rest of the season
Salmon (mouth to Highway 101 only): open July 1 through December 15 with limits and wild-fish rules that change through the season
Washington freshwater license and a catch record card for steelhead and salmon
Inside Olympic National Park: Park rules, artificial lures with a single barbless hook, no state license required but a catch record card is

The 2026 permanent rules replaced the year-by-year emergency rules the coast fished under from December 2020. They moved the closing date from April 30 to March 31 and dropped the old three-fish hatchery limit for the statewide limit. The Quillayute system is co-managed with the Quileute Tribe, and in-season changes are common.

Source: Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife — Coastal Steelhead Management. Regulations change annually. Verify before fishing.

Getting there

Forks, WA

~4-4.5 hrs from Seattle (via ferry or around the Sound); ~1 hr from Port Angeles

Fly shops

Waters West Fly Fishing OutfittersPort Angeles

Camping: Bogachiel State Park sits on the river at the Highway 101 bridge, about six miles south of Forks, with a campground that runs a reduced schedule in winter. Forks has motels, cabins and the groceries and fuel for a steelhead trip; Port Angeles, an hour northeast, has more.

Three improved ramps cover the lower drifts. The rearing-pond ramp is 3.3 miles down Bogachiel Way from Highway 101 in Forks. Wilson's is off Wilson Road, 5.5 miles down La Push Road. Leyendecker Park, with a concrete ramp, is at the Sol Duc confluence off Mora Road. Bogachiel State Park at the Highway 101 bridge gives bank access, and there are unimproved launch spots up and down the river. The WDFW ramps need a parking pass, so check WDFW's current rules. Above the highway, Undi Road and the Bogachiel Rain Forest trail reach the walk-in water.

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Run

Months

Peak

Now

Coho

Sep–Nov

Oct

Peak

Fall Chinook

Sep–Nov

–

Winter steelhead

Nov–Mar

Dec–Feb

From Nov

Summer steelhead

Jun–Sep

–

From Jun

About Bogachiel River

Species

Winter Steelhead

Primary (hatchery and wild) · Dec-Mar (hatchery Dec-Jan, wild Feb-Mar) · 6-20+ lb (hatchery avg 6-8)

A large hatchery run returns to the rearing ponds below Forks from late November, peaking in December and January. Wild fish follow from February into March and run bigger. Keep hatchery (adipose-clipped) fish under the statewide steelhead limit; release every wild steelhead. The season now closes March 31.

Steelhead (summer-run)

Minor run · Jun-Sep · 5-10 lb

A small summer run in low, clear water. Long leaders and small flies in the morning shade. A side game to the winter fishery, not a reason to drive out.

Coho Salmon

Common · Sep-Nov · 6-12 lb

The best fall fly target. Strip or swing chartreuse and pink flies to holding coho from the hatchery down to Leyendecker.

Chinook Salmon (fall run)

Present · Sep-Nov · 10-30 lb

Fall kings come in with the first fall rains. Salmon seasons and wild-fish rules on the Quillayute system change by emergency rule, so check before you keep one.

Coastal Cutthroat Trout

Common · Jul-Oct · 8-18"

Sea-run cutthroat in late summer and early fall, on a 5- or 6-weight with small streamers and soft hackles. Release cutthroat from November through March.

Bull Trout

Present (native char) · Varies · Varies

Native bull trout and Dolly Varden are protected. Release any you hook, and do not target them inside the Park.

Species	Abundance	Best Season	Size
Winter Steelhead	Primary (hatchery and wild)	Dec-Mar (hatchery Dec-Jan, wild Feb-Mar)	6-20+ lb (hatchery avg 6-8)
Steelhead (summer-run)	Minor run	Jun-Sep	5-10 lb
Coho Salmon	Common	Sep-Nov	6-12 lb
Chinook Salmon (fall run)	Present	Sep-Nov	10-30 lb
Coastal Cutthroat Trout	Common	Jul-Oct	8-18"
Bull Trout	Present (native char)	Varies	Varies

At a glance

Ideal wading flow

700–2,000 cfs

Blow-out

>3,500 cfs

Ideal water temp

40–52°F

Best seasons

Regulations

One single-point barbless hook only
No fishing from a boat with an internal combustion motor
Mouth to Highway 101 bridge: open the Saturday before Memorial Day through March 31; bait banned through August 31 and again January 1 through March 31
Highway 101 bridge to the Olympic National Park boundary: same season, no bait
Release all wild steelhead (adipose fin present); hatchery steelhead may be kept under the statewide limit
Release cutthroat trout November 1 through March 31; 14-inch minimum the rest of the season
Salmon (mouth to Highway 101 only): open July 1 through December 15 with limits and wild-fish rules that change through the season
Washington freshwater license and a catch record card for steelhead and salmon
Inside Olympic National Park: Park rules, artificial lures with a single barbless hook, no state license required but a catch record card is

Source: Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife — Coastal Steelhead Management. Regulations change annually. Verify before fishing.

Getting there

Forks, WA

~4-4.5 hrs from Seattle (via ferry or around the Sound); ~1 hr from Port Angeles

Bogachiel River

Steelhead & salmon

About Bogachiel River

Species