WSFR Rivers Reports (Sol Duc) - http://www.nwfishing.com





	This beautiful gem of a river demands a first-rate overview. I do not feel I can do this river justice. Please, I need someone to volunteer for this duty. submit your overview here. Current weather conditions in Forks Motels in Forks NW Fishing.com Recommended guides in Forks: Jim Mansfield

	June 13, 2001 Thanks to: Jim Mansfield The Sol Duc River is still producing some nice kings, with good numbers still cruising up-river. Terry Dotson from Port Angles brought out his brother-in-law from Montana. Familiar with catching trout, Terry just showed him what our peninsula kings can do with the drag. Great job Terry and Mark. The Native Americans have cut back on a day having Monday morning at 6:00am till Tuesday night at 6:00pm being thier only netting days. April 6, 2001 Thanks to: Jim Mansfield The Olympic Peninsula rivers are in great shape, the native steelhead are still coming in along with some early springers. A few days ago (4/4/01) in the Hoh River we hooked 8 fish, the biggest measured out to be 44 inches long, close to 30 pounds. The lucky sportsman was Steve Thompson from Spokane,Wa. The Sol Duc river has started to show signs of salmon in the river. Today with (Editor) Dave Weitl we fished the Sol Duc and boated my first springer of the year along with a steelhead--it made for quite a day. Great job Dave. If anyone wants a try at catching these fish send me some mail and I can get us to the good spots. :) Keep the tip up and let it run.....<(((((<< Feb. 16, 2001 Thanks to: Dave Weitl My buddy Dave Lisch and I fished with guide extraordinaire, Jim Mansfield, on Friday in the middle of a wicked snow storm. Jim is quite the warrior, willing to row for six hours in the freezing snow--without gloves--just to get my buddy Dave and I a couple of Steelies. We drove over the night before and arrived just in time to get an hour of sleep before heading down to the coffee shop. Somehow Jim was able to get the boat in the water and his new rig back up the steep ramp at the hatchery and we were off. After only about 1/2 hour into the drift DL's rod went down and he was fast into a feisty 12-pound hen. She was a Snyder Creek fish with the clipped ventral fin and looked like she was getting ready to spawn. We let her go and went back down the river, without ever seeing another boat or crazy bank fisherman all day. I got the next bite and fought a fish that didn't realize he was under 10 pounds. The way he fought he was sure to be at least twice his size. We sent him back because of his big heart and fantastic genes. A spectacularly beautiful day of scenery on the Sol Duc, albeit a little on the cold side. Thanks Jim, for another memorable day on the river with a real* Forks native. Feb. 10, 2001 Thanks to: Corey Rasmussen Fished the Sol Duc on saturday from hatchery down to maxfield, my friend caught one bright native around 8-10 lbs. Saw a couple other fish hooked into, but not landed. Water was clear and weather was overcast with a little rain. Jan. 28, 2001 Thanks to: Corey Rasmussen Beautiful weather, river was low and clear. Caught one 12-14 pound native on a jig a little above Maxfield. Fishing was slow, but a nice day none the less. Jan. 24, 2001 Thanks to: Jim Mansfield Olympic Peninsula Streams are starting to show good signs of some early native fish. The Native Americans are hitting them hard, with one native getting 47 fish in the net, the smallest one was 17 pounds all were native fish. The hatchery run is winding up with this big flood (1/4/01), it should take care of the hatchery fish returning to the trap for next year's brood stock as all the hatcherys were behind on their quota due to lack of rain. Remember Febuary, March and April are great months for MONSTER natives, fish weighing upwards to 30 pounds are hooked every year. It's up to you to get it close to the net. If you would like a try at landing one of these Bad Boys, send me some e-mail and if I can't take you, I have other local guides from the area that will. Oct. 22, 2000 Thanks to: David Weitl Tossed a fly and then a spinner at the Iverson Hole this afternoon for a couple of hours. There were a few fish rolling, but nothing biting. 3 boats floated through while I was fishing and a few bankies tried their luck with similar results. The fish are in there, just not in a biting mood today. June 17-18, 2000 Thanks to: Dennis Bailey I had the pleasure of fishing the Sol Duc this weekend with my son Curtis and guide Jim Mansfield. The fishing was great. Saturday I hooked a 25-lb. king and with the help of our guide we managed to get it in the boat. Jim Mansfield goes past just being a guide and makes each trip a true pleasure and adventure for his customers. My 10-yr. old son hooked a 23-lb. king and got it in the boat also. Sunday the fishing was also good with a 28-lb. and another 23-lb. king in the boat. For a great fishing adventure my thanks go to Jim Mansfield and recommend others trying this for themselves. Jim can be reached at jim@jim-mansfield.com I can't wait for my next trip. Feb. 18-19, 2000 Thanks to: C.J. Scott How low can you go? My brother, brother-in-law and myself fished all three rivers on this beautiful weekend.VERY low and clear which made it difficult to say the least. We were fishing from the bank so we tried to be sneaky even when we didn't see any fish which was 99% of the time. Only hooked one all weekend, that was a estimated 10-15 lb stealhead that shook his mighty head and said see ya! The only fish we saw were on the Bogachiel. Well maybe a little rain next time please! Never thought I'd say that! Feb. 3, 2000 Thanks to: Dan Anders and Greg Avery Six guys, three boats, one RV, and some beautiful steelies! It was about 40 degrees on a slightly overcast morning. Two boats fished from the salmon hatchery down to the Bogey. We had a nice time on the river, including a beautiful 15-lb. native buck caught by Greg Avery. Also caught were a couple of nice hatchery hens and a couple more fresh natives about 10 lbs. The third boat began the day several miles above the salmon hatchery. The first couple hours were fairly uneventful except for a fat 24 inch cutthroat. Alan, one of the guys on the boat, hooked into a 20-lb. hog at around 11:00. Nice fish, released. Two more hours yielded only a chrome 7 pounder for Dan. Released. At one o'clock Dan pulled in a beautiful buck meauring 39 inches long X 22 1/2 inches girth. Wow, maybe 23 lbs. Had to chase it through some rapids. Nice fight! Next corner in the river, maybe 10 minutes later, Dan gets another one. 15-20 minutes after that a buck measuring 42 inches X 23 inches is laying tired next to the boat. Amazing, maybe 28 or 29 lbs! So, a half hour, a 23 and a 29-ish, for the day 3 fish 20 lbs. or more. Who could ask for anything more? We went with Robert Kratzer and Anglers Guide Service. It was a good time on a beautiful river. We'll do it again. Nov. 2, 1999 Thanks to: Denny McBreen My son, Jake, and I spent two great days in Forks in between storms. The Hoh was out of shape on 11/2 so after breakfast Jim Mansfield took us to the Sol Duc--my favorite river. The river level was down, the color good and the skies patchy blue. The first hole produced a hard strike, a 25 minute fight, and a beautiful bright 42 lb. buck in the boat. Still had a few sea lice. But he pulled us out of the hole, so downstream we went. Third hole, two more kings in the boat--32 and 36 lbs. Thought we'd have a perfect day, but we missed a couple, got our limit by 9:40 and an extra one for Jim to smoke. Love that Sol Duc! This guy knows how to fish! You want an excellent boat ride and exceptional fishing, fish with the best, not the rest. Nov. 4, 1999 Thanks to: Mark T Got to the Sol Duc at about 8:00am. We were the 10th boat to launch that morning on the Hatchery drift. It started off pretty slow as it seemed each hole had someone working it already. I ended up hooking two silvers that were starting to turn color. My friend seemed to have all the luck. He caught about ten silvers - most on a Mepps spinner he told me to bring. I figured the spinners I had would be fine and didn't bother to get any. Next time I'll have plenty of those spinners as I hate being the "net boy" all the time. July 16, 1999 Thanks to Jime Mansfield The Sol Duc is low and clear with Kings in the deep spots. The Iverson Hole has a bunch rolling. First thing in the a.m. you can get them to bite but they're spooky. June 30, 1999 Thanks to: Gordon Gracey Flyfished from the bank, targeted cutthroat. Landed 7 between 8 and 13 inches. Saw several spring kings rolling at bark hole and at the Sappho hatchery. The water was excellent in the morning, becoming marginal by afternoon. Lots of visibility still, but also mass amounts of crud from the snow runoff. The most productive fly was a yellow stimulator #12, and a black with olive beadhead wooly bugger #10. June 28, 1999 Thanks to: Mark Drahn Went on a guided trip with Jim Mansfield. This was my second time fishing with Jim. First fish in the boat 45 minutes into the float. A beautiful 30-pound King. Next fish in was a 20-pound King. Fish hit my flatfish as it was coming out of the water. Missed it the first pass so I dropped some slack into the line and he swirled and picked it up. All of this about 4 feet from the boat. Never topwater fished for Kings. My buddy Tom finished out the morning with a killer 38-pounder. As usual, Jim Mansfield called the spot where he would pick it up. I know it sounds like a commercial but if you want the best, go with Jim. Looking forward to our next trip Jim. PS: during a lull in the action I also caught a 3-pound Dolly Varden. Mar. 18, 1999 Thanks to: Dave Weitl Finally got a chance to fish for the first time in three months today with guide Jim Mansfield. Fellow volleyball coach Jeff Albert joined me with Jim as we floated the lower Sol Duc. It was our intention to fish the Calawah, but the recent logging too close to the rivers has caused massive slides. The recent slide on the South Fork of the Calawah is so bad that not only the main Calawah was out for the past two days, but the lower Bogachiel gets blown as well. We fished with what seemed like a hundred others on the lower Sol Duc and were able to get two bites. We landed one, a nice chrome 12-pound hen, but missed the other. Still a pleasant day on the river and didn't even have to don the raingear! The water was a beautiful Sol-duc green with about 4-6 feet of visibility. Mar. 7, 1999 Thanks to: Brian & James The Duc was in prime condition. Started off the morning with a nice 12 lb. buck, next cast, 10 lb. hen, then I let James fish the hole for a bit while I explored upstream. Got bored after 10 minutes, so I came back down and hooked a 7 lb. buck on the 1st cast. After a great arial show and a picture or two I casted again to hook into the monster. 20 lbs. + buck easy. We thought we would give the hole a rest so we went down river and progressed to hook and lose a nice one right below a boat ramp. 5 hooked, 4 landed, lots of pictures, and all released. A great day and even better memories. Hopefully next time James will get in on the action. Feb. 20, 1999 Thanks to: Chris Tolman First off I would like to thank the editor for agreeing with me in my last report on the Dungeness River. Well on this trip my father (Jeff) and I went fishing with guide John Monk. We left our house at 2:30 AM and arrived in Forks at 5:15 AM. We were on the river by 7:30 and we were off the river by 2:30. I caught my first steelhead which was a nice 8-lb. hatchery hen. I also caught a 10-lb. native buck. My dad on the other hand didn't have as much luck, he caught a jack steelhead. I had a great time. Our guide seemed like he knew the river by heart. It was a great day of fishing. Feb. 13, 1999 Thanks to: Jay and B.K. My best day ever steelheading. Out on the Duc all day moving from location to location. By the end of the day I hooked 7 and landed 5, while B.K. hooked 6 and landed 4. Completely incredible!! In one stretch we hooked and landed 4 fish in a half an hour. The fish were from 6 to 12 lbs., all natives, and all released. Filled up a roll of film and headed home. Going back for JUMBO'S in a few weeks. Fished floats and jigs with some vicious take downs, YE HAA!!!! good luck!!! Jan. 3, 1999 Thanks to: Jim Mansfield I fished the Sol Duc on Jan. 2nd for three hours in the afternoon and had three on and got one. It was a beauty, a 15-pound native buck, we released it. With not much rain in sight it will be great fishing for this coming weekend. Dec. 31, 1998 Thanks to: Jim Mansfield The Sol Duc still has coho galore up at the hatchery, most are in bad shape but still some good ones. They are fun to catch on the fly (New Top Secrect) hoochie skirt on the fly rod for silvers--all kinds of different colors for different water condition--its RED HOT. Dec. 23, 1998 Thanks to: Jim Mansfield Merry Christmas and fish on! Sol Duc River has been producing some nice fish, with fewer bites but when you get one it's usually a nice one. July 25, 1998 Thanks to: Jerry Goins Went camping on the peninsula this past weekend. The weather was beautiful and started the trip off right with a nice 15 lb buck on the Mighty Hoh Saturday morning. But... we went to town Saturday afternoon to grab a few things and decided to stop in the fishing shop there in Forks and got a report of a ton of Silvers on the Duc. So, as usual, disregarded our earlier success on the Hoh (which was dumb) and pounded the Duc for the next two days. Saw alot of fish but it was tooooo hot, toooo low and tooooo clear. A little rain and it should be bustin' wide open. All in all, had a great time and a nice fish in the smoker. April 26, 1998 Thanks to: Greg LaGrandeur My brother-in-law John Burnett, and my son and I, drifted from the Maxfield Road put in to Rainier takeout. We saw and talked with one guide, who had a fish on as we were coming near him. Real nice bright steelhead, watched them release it. We didn't touch a thing. River was really low and clear. Had a great float, and a nice BBQ. April 11, 1998 Thanks to: Jim Mansfield Fished the hatchery to Whitcomb Dimmel on the Sol Duc yesterday. Hooked 5 landed 4. Fished the lower run today, had 6 bites got 3. One was a 22 lb. Springer, beautiful fish--chromer. The Indians are still waxin' the river, getting Kings in the nets too. We got an inch of rain last night conditions are great. I am in the Calawha tomorrow hoping for the big one. Feb. 28, 1998 Thanks to David Hardy for the following report: Fly Fished a few holes from the bank. Using Sink tip and big Marabou patterns. Saw no fish and talked to several guides that hadn't hooked fish either. Not a good year here. Hoh was the only river producing fair. Feb. 21-22, 1998 Thanks to Jeff Zenk for the following report: It was with anticipation and high hopes that Brian "The Dogger" knoll and myself headed up to the Olympic Peninsula. With the poor steelhead returns in Southwest Washington and river conditions that didn't seem to cooperate with our schedules, we were hopeful that our perseverance would pay off. We arrived in Forks early Saturday afternoon -- just in time to do a short float on the Sol Duc. At the put in, we talked to a guide who was just coming in with a couple of clients. They hadn't touched a fish, but had seen one caught and heard the story of a guy who landed a big fish by himself in a pontoon boat. Not a great report, but at least there were a few fish around. The river was on the high side, but visibility was still good. Rain showers were heavy and frequent -- raising concern about river conditions holding for Sunday. We fished until dark without as much as a bump. Somewhat deflated, considering our high hopes at the beginning of the day, we decided to get a bite to eat and plan our attack for the morning. Brian insisted that we go to the Smokehouse Restaurant. Having been there and done that, I protested, but finally relented. When I finally got my "Giant" cut of prime rib (about 6 oz including fat and gristle), I knew I shouldn't have given in to Brian's demands. Later that evening, we sat in the back of my pickup having a cocktail and listening to golf ball size rain drops pelt the roof at an ear-deafening volume. We both knew that the rain spelled potential disaster for our morning fishing plans, but neither of us said a word because hard core steelheaders like Brian and I, are by necessity, eternal optimists. As usual, morning came all too quickly. Within minutes we had our bed rolls put away and were headed to the store for some hot coffee and food (I was starving all night after the "Giant" dinner I had). Without much delay we were off to the Sol Duc to launch the boat. Dropping off the moped at the take out we were surprised to see that there were no other vehicles. Could it be that we would have first water? Was it possible that no other boat was going to do that float? Hopeful, we headed to the put in. Our hopes of a pressure free float were affirmed when we noticed no other trailers at the launch (Probably because of the difficulty of the float). We pushed away from the boat launch just as the heavens opened up with a head pounding hail storm. About twenty minutes into our float we were working a flat spot between a set of rapids. I watched in astonishment and disbelief as my rod suddenly yanked down violently. When I set the hook, the morning silence was broken when a chrome bright steelhead tail walked 30 yards down stream. After several runs that zigzagged between boulders, I successfully landed a beautiful native hen. A quick measurement and a photo and she was happily back in the water. Applying the catch and release formula (Girth squared times length times 1.33 divided by 1000), we estimated her weight at just over 15 lbs. Catching my breath after the battle, I noticed that the sun was shining. A mile or so down the river from where I landed the hen, we came to the first large hole on the float. Brian and I both recognized this deep hole as big fish water. After several minutes of working the pool, my rod slammed down once again. I quickly dropped the anchor and set the hook. This time, there was no tail walking -- just a slow and powerful head shake that came from somewhere in the depths of the hole. The fish, reminded me of a big king hugging the bottom of the pool. After several minutes the fish relented to the pressure of the line and headed toward the surface. After some coaxing we were finally able to get a quick look at the fish, it looked like it might go 15 lbs, but it was difficult to tell with the sunlight reflecting off the water. Another several minutes went by and it looked as though the fish was ready to come in. It got to within 5 feet of the boat and then the fight really began. Sounding to the bottom of the hole and ripping out 60 yards of line in the blink of the eye -- I realized that this fish might just be bigger than I first thought. It went wild. First under the boat, then around the anchor line, and then to the far side of the hole. It must have looked like a Chinese fire drill as we went around and around the boat. The runs got shorter and shorter and we were eventually able to land the brute. The dime bright buck measured 38" long and had a girth of 20" which calculated to just over 20 lbs. I gave it a kiss for continued good luck and slid it back into the river. By this time, Brian was getting a little jealous. I told him that his lack of luck so far was based upon his insistence on sticking with a brand of plugs that just didn't get the job done. As I was tired from battling the big fish, I let Brian row the boat. When he snagged and lost his plug, I took the opportunity to rig up his rod with one of my hot plugs. Brian has one of those aggravating habits of blowing by good water. It just drives me crazy when someone doesn't stop to work productive steelhead water. As he attempted to push through another good stretch of water. I demanded that he get back in the front seat and let me row. After some arguing he finally relented to my demands. Brian was sulking even though he was now armed with my hot plug and we were fishing a good stretch of water. Just as he was commenting on how worthless my hot plug was, his rod went down and a bright steelhead broke the surface of the water. After a nice little fight, Brian landed and released a nice 8 lbs hen. Saying "I'm never going to here the end of this," Brian suggested that we push on down the river. Again, I told him that there was plenty of good water left in the stretch and we should continue to fish it. We worked the stretch for another 20 yards when Brian's rod went down a second time. This steelhead was a jumping fool, almost knocking itself out on several boulders before being landed. With four fish landed and Brian worried about the wrath that he might face from his wife if he came home late, we decided to call it a day and pushed on down to the take out. On the drive home that evening, we relished our good fortune and looked forward to our next excursion, which as eternal optimists, we were sure would be equally successful. Feb. 17, 1998 Thanks to Bob F for the following report: Fished the Bear Creek drift of the solduc with guide Jack Kirkland. This drift is from the launch at Hilstrom Rd. to the salmon hatchery. We pulled plugs the whole trip(my request). Caught one native hen on a chrome and red tadpolly. Estimated weight about 16 lbs, thats right 16 lbs. No other action. River color was OK but not ideal,lots of flow too.I made this same trip with Jack last year with 8 takedowns and 5 fish landed.I would never ever ever take my boat down this float, but Jack is VERY knowledgable of the good holes and bad water here. If you like catch and release, I highly recommend giving Jack a call at 360-327-3761. Feb 15, 1998 Thanks to Jeff Hale for the following report: Joe Cammack, a Port Angeles local and owner of Jim's pharmacy, invited me up to float the upper Sol Duc on February, Sunday the 15th. We put in at Richards road, floated approximately 8-10 miles, and took out at the old airport bridge. When we started, the river was at 12 boards. We drift fished eggs and corkies, pulled plugs, and I even fished a dink float and jigs; no luck, not even a strike. We did however talk to a local guide that got his clients into a few fish and one other gentleman that said he had earlier released a 17 pound native hen. The guide was fishing plugs, and the other gentleman was drift fishing. The river was in great shape, good color, 3-5 feet of visibility (depending on the section), and looked "fishy". Unfortunately, we were unable to entice any steelhead, but we had a great drift anyway. If you go, bring your rain gear. Good fishing. April 15, 1997 Thanks to Chris Tompkins for the following report: I only hooked a couple on the duc for 2 days worth of hard and long hours of fishing, all large dark fish , they continued to come unglued..damm...exciting for my son Mckinnon though.. Warning: Bear creek drift-upper Sol Duc._Watch the big tree right in the middle of the Sapho rapids,, fun?? no nooo,, scary,,.. managed to squeek by it, barely enough room for the boat, had to pull in both oars to get by, this is a new hazard from our last high water event.. I only saw one other boat on the hatchery drift and no one on Bear creek drift once the guides cleared out at 5 am , ..not as many spawners this year, I would say only 1/2 of what I saw 2 years ago, at least the river was clear enough to see some fish. Until next time. March 26-27, 1997 Thanks to: Eric Cedarstrand Metalhead Maniacs, Here is another story from the Mighty Duc. On Thursday morning, I along with a business buddy, Mike Roy, met guide Larry Scott on the Sol Duc in search of the Mighty One. Rain was falling at a rapid rate and except for a few short hesitations, increased in volume throughout the day. Thank goodness for the bail bucket! Anyway, visibility was two feet and improving, even with the rain, but the river was very high still recovering from the deluge prior to our trip. Mike had never caught a steelhead or salmon on a river. He made three trips in October over the past few years for Salmon with a different guide and never had a strike. Both Larry and I explained to him the importance of a quality guide and that today he will become an anointed Steelheader. As any of you experienced fishermen know, a rookie in the boat means FISH ON!!! And Mike was no exception. About an hour into our day, Mike's rod headed south. Not really understanding what was happening, Larry and I simultaneously yelled JERK!!!!! Mike leaned into the fish with the power of a wet noodle (only a novice gets these breaks) and the fight was on! After a few happy pictures, the 9lb hen was returned to the water. Just to show how tough he really was, Mike got slammed again in the next hole. Once again Guide Larry let out the battle cry...JJJEEERRRKKK!!!!! Mike casually began to reel and the fish, not wanting any part of this action, headed to the ocean. Larry expertly maneuvered around the various obstacles, while I lent Mike a few of my fish fighting secrets. After the 10 minute battle was over a beautiful hen of about 12lbs rolled to the surface. Just as Larry was going to bring out the net, she bolted and Mike had his first "long line release". Down the river a hole or two, Mike was making comments on how easy this steelheading is and that he was going to catch another to prove his point. Just when I rolled my eyes, JJJJEEEERRRKKK!!!! Mike was hooked up for the third time! After landing the chrome hen of 10 lbs and another few pictures I'd had enough. I declared to the FISH GOD'S, "Mike Roy is no longer a rookie!" It worked! Next slot I released one of Larry's secret, hand painted, meticulously tuned plugs and WHAMMO!!! Fish On!! The streak lives on, close to fifty trips with Larry Scott and never a skunk! With a picture and a high five, I released the 10lb hen to fight again. Not a monster, But aerobatic on fight and a good memory. I am a Float and Jig fanatic, and as we came around the corner, a sweet hole on the left in between two logs looked really inviting. I cast up stream and as my float passed by it went under and popped back up. Knowing how deep this slot was, I felt it might have been a fish. So i cast back up and came through the same spot.....GONE!!! I set hard expecting a nice fir bough when electricity raced through my Loomis. FISH ON!! I knew it was a big one when after 10 minutes we had still not spotted the fish. Finally, the bright, fresh, native hen rolled on the surface. A few minutes later we netted what had to be the brightest fish I have ever landed. Larry and I estimated 14-15lbs. She sure was pretty as I watched her swim away. Later on, I broke one off before the boat launch. I must have had a nick in the line, cause when the fish took it under and I set the hook, It broke right at the first guide, almost sending me in the river. Because of an urgent meeting called at work, I had to cancel our Friday trip. Not being the sort who likes to pay when not fishing, I called Dave Greer to see if he could fill in. Dave drove all night to get to the Sol Duc and Larry and he fished our same run. You knew it was coming...Dave caught and released SEVEN Steelhead with Larry. In those seven fish, Dave finally got his dream fish...a 22lb BUCK. Just my luck! If you want to book a trip with Larry Scott at Westside Guide Service in Forks, call him at 1(360)327-3671. He is now booking trips in April, May and June for Springers and Steelhead. If you want to talk shop my e-mail is CEDERSTRAND@MSN.COM March 15, 1997 Thanks to Chris Tompkins for the following report: The skies were really stormy for most of the day on the Duc. I drifted from the Whitcomb Dimmel access to the sorting yard bridge. We pounded for the whole day for only 2 bites. Both fish we hooked were bright three salts and gave a nice fight, so nice that they both got the traditional long line release, bummer. We endured a long very rainy day with some wind gusts that just about knocked us over. The river was on the rise in the afternoon and the side creeks began to swell with dirty water, by the end of the day the visibility had dropped to 5 ft from the 12 ft it had before. I love the Sol Duc but this year has not been very kind to me, maybe the run is smaller than usual or its just the increase in pressure but the river had not been fishing all that great for me. Anyone interested in Trout Unlimited? ctompkin@accessone.com February 27-28, 1997 Thanks to Eric Cederstrand for the following report: To all the Steelhead junkies on the net. Grab your Loomis and get to the Sol Duc for a chance at a huge native metalhead!!!! I just returned from another two day trip on February 27th and 28th with a good client and joined Fork's guide Larry Scott in pursuit of the BIG ONE. On Thursday, the sky was blue and the water very clear. We fished without a bite until 1:00, not that we weren't in fish, they were easily seen, they just wouldn't hit plugs or the drift gear we presented. As we entered Eric's hole, as we call it because last year I caught and released two fish over 20#'s back to back from it last year, My partner, Dan Say, laid into a beautiful 14# buck. Back in the same hole after the release, I got slammed and proceeded to lose the fish after a few minutes. Next , Dan got hit but missed the fish then I got hit and the fight was on. After landing and releasing a chrome hen, Larry rowed to the top again and Dan had ANOTHER steelhead on in a couple of minutes. The fish made huge screaming runs, ripping the fifteen pound test off the reel, It was a pig. The fish blasted from the water 50 yards down stream and flopped right on the secret plug, coming unhooked. Before we got to the takeout, we both landed one more steelie apiece. Friday we launched in the dark, in a SNOW FLURRY(only in Forks!). Mr. Say proceeded to set a new steelhead record, in our book, by catching and releasing THREE METALHEADS in just under forty minutes. Again, all on the secret special. As we entered some heavy whitewater, a small pocket drew my attention. With a quick flip of the float and jig, I sent a perfect cast to the perfect spot. WHAMMY!!! As I reared back, a huge buck erupted from the water and took off down the river. Standing in the front of Larry's boat chasing a fish down rapids has become a comical occurrence with my last few slabbies, and this was no exception. Stopping in front of the boat, proceeding back upstream, went my fish, while we proceeded at a very quick clip downstream. Needless to say, many explicit words were yelled at the fish gods as my 20+ fish of the year swam to the spawning beds, with his new Big Jig body pierce. Not too much later, I hooked and landed a chrome 16# hen, Followed by a 13# buck and ended the day with a fresh and fiesty 10# scrapper buck caught on another float and jig combo. I fish with Larry several times a month and can honestly say I have never been skunked yet! (knock on steel). Larry Scott has lived in Forks and guided it's mighty rivers for over twenty years. There are a few exceptional guides on Peninsula, and I put Larry on the top of the list. Just ask my clients, we just booked another six days in March and April. If you would like to fish Steelhead, Kings or Silvers on the Sol Duc, Calawah, Bogachiel or Hoh. Call LARRY SCOTT , owner of Westside Guide Service, at 1(360) 327-3671. If you would like to talk fishing my e-mail is CEDERSTRAND@MSN.COM remember to preserve this incredible fishery...Catch and Release Natives! February 24-25, 1997 Thanks to Bob Wilson for the following report: I just got back from a 3 day trip over to forks. On mon. I floated the Sol Duc from Maxfields to Whitcom Dimmel. I caught one 13lb. hen and had a couple other take downs on my bait divers. I talked to the fish checker at the end of the day, and there seemed to be a few more fish taken below Whitcom Dimmel down to the sorting yard. So I decided to make the same float on Tues. Thinkin' that maybe some of those fish would be moving up to the next stretch of the river. We hooked 1 fish for the whole day on Tues., it was an 18lb buck. I guess those fish are still holding down in the lower end. February 7, 1997 Thanks to Jeff Zenk for the following report: My buddy Brian and I fished the Sol Duc on Saturday, and contrary to the reports coming from the papers, the fishing was pretty slow. We caught and released one small native fish. From talking with the fish checker, it seemed as though we had done better than most - only two fish caught for eight boats. February 5-7, 1997 Thanks to Rgrtht007@aol.com for the follwoing report: I floated the solduc last week wed, thur, & fri. We caught 8 steelhead for those 3 days, and one of those was a 23lb. buck taken on fri. Yes it's going on my wall! I drove back over to fish the hoh yesterday due to some hot reports and only caught one hatchery fish, but it was chrome bright. The hoh was on the rise and going out fast, as well as the bogy. Now I'm just waiting for the solduc to drop back in, but I'll be back. Rumor has it that Jim Mansfield was kicking some steelhead butt!