Steelhead & salmon
11′–13′6″ two-hand rod, 7–8 weight, Skagit head + sink tips · Steelhead and Pacific salmon
Open checklist
Forks & the Olympic Peninsula
Forks sits on the west side of the Olympic Peninsula between the Calawah, Bogachiel and Sol Duc rivers, which join to form the short Quillayute River above La Push.
- Washington · West
- 6 waters
- 11 guides nearby
- 3 shops nearby
- FRD airport · 74 mi
Photo credit
The Bogachiel River in Olympic National Park, Washington. Photo: Olympic National Park (National Park Service), public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
More about Forks & the Olympic Peninsula
Forks sits on the west side of the Olympic Peninsula between the Calawah, Bogachiel and Sol Duc rivers, which join to form the short Quillayute River above La Push; the Hoh runs to the Pacific to the south, with the Queets and the Quinault beyond it.
Waters around Forks
About this
Tap a water for its live flow, access map, regulations and hatches.
Freestone riverRepresentative photo · not Hoh RiverPhoto credit
The Methow River near Pateros, Washington, at sunset. Photo: Thayne Tuason, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Hoh River.
Hoh River
Washington · 12 mi from Forks
Freestone riverRepresentative photo · not Sol Duc RiverPhoto credit
The Columbia River Gorge looking east from Crown Point, Oregon. Photo: Hux, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Not Sol Duc River.
Sol Duc River
Washington · 8 mi from Forks
Freestone riverRepresentative photo · not Bogachiel RiverPhoto credit
The Columbia River in Washington. Photo: Belle Unruh, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Bogachiel River.
Bogachiel River
Washington · 4 mi from Forks
Freestone riverRepresentative photo · not Calawah RiverCalawah River
Washington · 1 mi from Forks
Freestone riverRepresentative photo · not Queets RiverPhoto credit
The Necanicum River at Klootchy Creek Park, Clatsop County, Oregon. Photo: Jsayre64, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Queets River.
Queets River
Washington · 28 mi from Forks
Freestone riverRepresentative photo · not Quinault RiverQuinault River
Washington · 41 mi from Forks
Distances and official pages
The rivers, lakes or flats this hub is organised around, each with its straight-line distance from Forks. Within 40 miles a water's own page names this hub as near; a farther one shows its distance instead. Where a nearby guide names a water on its own website, we say how many do. Access, seasons and special regulations differ by reach: check the agency pages under license and rules.
- Hoh River12 mi from Forks in a straight line · named on 4 guide websites nearby
- Sol Duc River8 mi from Forks in a straight line · named on 4 guide websites nearby
- Bogachiel River4 mi from Forks in a straight line · named on 3 guide websites nearby
- Calawah River1 mi from Forks in a straight line · named on 3 guide websites nearby
- Queets River28 mi from Forks in a straight line · named on 1 guide website nearby
- Quinault River41 mi from Forks in a straight line · named on 1 guide website nearby
All gauge readings
The first USGS gauge on each water: the latest reading, how it compares with that gauge's record for today's date, the 24-hour trend and the NWS flood stage. Open a water for what the level means.
Reading the gauges around Forks…
Meet local guides
About this
11 guide listings within 60 miles (3 fly-focused), fly-focused first. Unclaimed listings say so on their page: confirm licensing, rates and dates with the outfitter.
Fly shops nearby
About this
3 shop listings in the towns around Forks, fly shops first. Confirm hours with the shop before you go.
Fish around Forks
Species guides mention (10)
Counted from the species each guide lists on its own site. This is what guides advertise, not an agency species list or a promise of what you will catch. We hold no agency species page for this hub yet.
- Chinook salmon8
- Coho salmon8
- Halibut6
- Steelhead6
- Rockfish & lingcod5
- Cutthroat trout3
- Tuna3
- Bull trout1
Things to know
Fishing license: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Fees on the agency page.
Inside Olympic National Park the park's own rules apply: its fishing page says a Washington licence is not needed in the park except when fishing the Pacific from shore, and that a free park catch record card is needed for salmon and steelhead.
Getting there
FRD Friday Harbor Airport · 74 mi
Regulations and access
Seasons, limits and access: agency pages.
Official license and rules pages
Buy the license from the agency and read its current regulations before you go. These links are the authoritative pages; nothing on this page grants or implies access to any water, and fees are only shown when read from the agency page on a stated date.
Nothing here grants or implies access to any water.
The Forks & the Olympic Peninsula area
About this
The circle is the 60-mile area this page covers, around Forks. Tap a water for its page. Shops and guides appear where they publish a street address on their own website; all of them are listed above.
Map of the Forks & the Olympic Peninsula area: its waters, shops and guides
Map of Forks & the Olympic Peninsula: the 60-mile area this page covers, its waters, and shops and guides with an exact address.
Restrooms near Forks & the Olympic Peninsula
Restrooms near Forks & the Olympic Peninsula
Restrooms within 5 miles of the centre of Forks & the Olympic Peninsula in a straight line, nearest first, with what anglers found when they went. The map says a restroom is there, not whether it is clean or open today.
Map of 7 restrooms near Forks & the Olympic Peninsula
Skip the map; every place is in the list belowMap of 7 restrooms near Forks & the Olympic Peninsula, numbered as in the list, with the town centre marked.
Restroom
0.3 mi away in a straight line- Public (mapped)
- Wheelchair accessible (mapped)
Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
- Is it clean?
- Flush or vault?
- Free?
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Restroom
0.3 mi away in a straight lineNot rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
- Is it clean?
- Flush or vault?
- Free?
- Open to everyone?
- Step-free?
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Restroom
2.1 mi away in a straight line- Vault or pit toilet (mapped)
- Public (mapped)
- Limited wheelchair access (mapped)
Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
We don't know yet: is it clean? · free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
- Is it clean?
- Free?
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Restroom
4.0 mi away in a straight line- Flush toilet (mapped)
- Customers only (mapped)
- Free (mapped)
- Wheelchair accessible (mapped)
- Open 24/7 (mapped)
Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
We don't know yet: is it clean? — tell other anglers: show the questions
- Is it clean?
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Restroom
4.0 mi away in a straight line- Flush toilet (mapped)
- Customers only (mapped)
- Free (mapped)
- Wheelchair accessible (mapped)
- Open 24/7 (mapped)
Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
We don't know yet: is it clean? — tell other anglers: show the questions
- Is it clean?
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Bogachiel State Park Campground
4.0 mi away in a straight lineAt a campground · Washington State Parks
Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
- Is it clean?
- Flush or vault?
- Free?
- Open to everyone?
- Step-free?
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Sadlerville Campground
4.4 mi away in a straight lineAt a campground
Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
- Is it clean?
- Flush or vault?
- Free?
- Open to everyone?
- Step-free?
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Restroom locations and map details: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License, read Oct 24, 2026. Ratings, answers and photos are members' own; who shared them is never shown, and every photo is reviewed before it appears. Visits older than 18 months no longer count. Distances are straight-line miles, not driving. Nothing here grants access to private land. Community guidelines.
Base yourself nearby
About this
Forks is the town between the rivers; La Push is at the mouth of the Quillayute, and Port Angeles is the larger town on the peninsula's north shore. We do not list or price properties. The search opens an outside site.
Nearest airports
About this
Distances are straight-line from the town centre, computed from OurAirports open data; distances by road are longer. Fares are never estimated here.
- FRD Friday Harbor AirportFriday Harbor, WA · 74 mi · regionalSearch flights
- ESD Orcas Island AirportEastsound, WA · 86 mi · regionalSearch flights
- OLM Olympia Regional AirportOlympia, WA · 97 mi · regionalSearch flights
- SEA Seattle–Tacoma International AirportSeattle, WA · 103 mi · major hubSearch flights
Rough out the trip
About this
Set nights, anglers and guided days. Each line says where its figure comes from, and anything we cannot source honestly (guide rates, fares, license fees not read from the agency page) stays a link rather than a number.
Estimates, not quotes
- Fishing licenseSee sourceAgency page
Source
One per angler (2 anglers). Fees are set by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife; see the agency page.
Source: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife - Guided days7 rates pagesChrome Chasers Fly FishingBlue Heron Guide ServiceAll-Ways FishingAngler's Guide Service
Source
1 guided day for 2 anglers. We do not copy guide rates: 7 guides near here publish a rates page on their own website.
Source: Guide websites (rates pages linked, never copied) - Find lodgingSee sourceSearch lodging
Source
Search places to stay near the destination. We do not list or price properties.
Source: Lodging search link - FlightsSee sourceSearch flights
Source
Fares are not estimated here. Search flights to FRD (Friday Harbor Airport).
Source: Flight search link (no fares quoted)
No priced itemsUse the links for real figures.
How we estimate
Estimates, not quotes. Nothing here is a price from a guide, a property or an airline; confirm every cost with the provider before you book. No placeholder lodging range is configured for this region, and licenses, guided days and flights are never priced here.
Parks, forests and visitor offices
About this
For the non-fishing days, or the people traveling with you. Official sources only; what to do there is for their pages to say.
Gear checklist
About this
A steelhead and salmon fly-fishing checklist: a switch or spey rod (or 9′6″ single-hand) in 7–8 weight, Skagit lines and sink tips, swing flies, studded boots and cold-weather layers, with estimated prices and where to buy.
Watch: swinging flies for steelhead
About this
Two-hand casting, sink tips and the swing.
Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.
How To Swing Wet Flies | Tom RosenbauerEmbedded from YouTube · The New Fly Fisher · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube S4 E9 How To Maximize The SwingEmbedded from YouTube · RIO Products · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
Not sponsored All videos on steelhead
Stories from Washington
About this
Trip stories anglers chose to share publicly, tagged with a water in Washington.
No Washington stories yet.
Sources for this page
All 11 sources
Guide and shop listings come from the Legendary directories (open map records checked against each business’s own website). Everything else links to the publisher below; this page copies none of their text. A destination hub organises discovery; it does not assert public access, current fish presence, guide availability or fishing conditions.
- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife: fishing licensesWashington Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Washington fishing regulationsWashington Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Washington emergency fishing rulesWashington Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Olympic National Park fishing rulesNational Park Service
- Olympic National ParkNational Park Service
- Olympic National ForestUSDA Forest Service
- The Olympic Peninsula (official travel and tourism site)Olympic Peninsula official tourism site
- City of ForksCity of Forks
- Washington State TourismWashington State Tourism
- OurAirports open data (airport locations)OurAirports, public domain
- Overture Maps places (guide and shop map records)Overture Maps Foundation, CDLA-Permissive 2.0
Links checked 22 Oct 2026. Not a claim of access or conditions.