Freestone · Glacial · Washington, US

Skagit River

Skagit River — Rasar State Park
Tomorrow · Slow going — pick your moments
Sculpin Streamer
Forecast · Tomorrow
Slow going — pick your moments
Slow going — pick your moments and do not force it.
45% projected
Today's fly
Sculpin Streamer
Sculpin Streamer
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Rising
1.02 m
Lifting fast
Water temp9.4°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather11°C
WindN 7 km/h
Pressure1012 hPa
Rain · recent3.3 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Steelhead
Ideal
9°C est.ideal 4–13°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Steelhead
When
Wild C&R spring season (Mar–Apr) WHEN OPEN; frequently closed. Verify WDFW before planning a trip.
Where
The Skagit is hallowed ground — the river that gave its name to the line and the casting style, the spiritual home of the modern two-handed wild-steelhead game.
Why this works
Poor — water temperature is working for you, but water clarity is the limiting factor today.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 12 Uhr

12 Uhr(now) — Mahogany Dun

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 24%

Peak activity at 12 Uhr — Mahogany Dun

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Brown DunHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Fly box · Steelhead
MT
Marabou Tube
8–10 · Salmon fly
Swing it through the holding lie at a steady pace.
RS
Rabbit-strip Leech
12–16 · Fly
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
BP
Bright Prawn pattern
12–16 · Fly
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
Local fly shops: Red's Fly Shop·Gorge Fly Shop
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Puget Sound steelhead ESA-listed
  • C&R-only spring season under a 10-year RMP on a defined reach, often suspended (closed for 2025-26 on funding)
  • Treat as closed unless WDFW confirms open.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Fishing better nearby · 1
Sauk River
33 km
81
Steelhead · Chinook salmon · Coho salmon
Gallery · 2
  1. Skagit River — Rasar State Park
    Rasar State Park
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Conservation note

Skagit steelhead belong to the Puget Sound DPS, ESA-listed threatened (2007). When a C&R wild-steelhead season is open it is a strictly catch-and-release, conservation-managed fishery; in many years it is closed entirely. We treat these fish as presence + run-timing read only — never promoted as a catch target, never a harvest nudge. This is iconic, fragile water that demands restraint. Chinook, coho, pink and chum present by season.

Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Not assessed
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'SKAGIT RIVER' (WA17110005000177_001_001), 2018 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Insufficient Information. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · WA17110005000177_001_001

Why this score · for Steelhead
  • Temperature10028% weight
  • Flow5522% weight
  • Clarity1518% weight
  • Feeding Time5013% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity6612% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts