Every once in a great while, we are blessed to spend a day fishing with our friends in a beautiful place. I had that very experience last week on the Queets River in Washington’s Olympic National Park.
My friends were Ian, David and Chance. They work every day all summer long running charters out of Westport, Washington. The marine forecast was, to put it lightly, unfavorable. But to that misfortune, brought opportunity, to all get together and spend a day floating the river.
I towed my drift boat out to the coast and we spent a day on the Queets River. Enjoying the great weather, favorable river conditions, and some willing salmon.
Washington has three national parks, and the Queets deserves to be included within those boundaries. Bound by old growth forests, the river is free flowing. And if you float the river, you will be taken back in time. Where every bend of river gives a new view of a rugged wilderness that once embodied every corner of our continent. At one point, I walked off the gravel bank into the woods. The eerie silence of nature left me speechless.
We fished our way down a river that was dirty from earlier rains and mudslides upriver. There were a few willing salmon that wanted to bite our offerings. We released everything we caught, and it was a great day!
Fishing at Lake Alice – Fall City, Washington
