Freestone · Glacial · Washington, US

Sauk River

Lower Sauk River 01
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
0.74 m
Lifting fast
Water temp9.7°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather10°C
WindN 4 km/h
Pressure1013 hPa
Rain · recent1.0 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
10°C est.ideal 4–13°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Steelhead
When
Spring C&R season (Mar–Apr) WHEN OPEN; frequently closed. Verify WDFW before planning.
Where
The Sauk is the Skagit's wild twin — an undammed glacial river pouring off Glacier Peak through Darrington, flashier and more untamed than its regulated big…
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is working for you, but time of day is the limiting factor today.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 11:00

12:00(now) — Western Blue-Winged Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 23%

Peak activity at 11:00 — Western Blue-Winged Olive

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

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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 under the 10-year RMP (mouth to Darrington Bridge), often suspended (closed 2025-26 on funding)
  • Treat as closed unless WDFW confirms open.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 1
Skagit River
33 km
30
Steelhead · Chinook salmon · Coho salmon
Gallery · 2
  1. Lower Sauk River 01
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Conservation note

Sauk steelhead belong to the Puget Sound DPS, ESA-listed threatened. The Sauk is the wild heart of the Skagit system's spring C&R fishery when it runs, and closed in many years. We treat these fish as presence + run-timing read only — never promoted as a catch target. Fragile, conservation-first water. Chinook, coho, pink and chum present by season.

Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'SAUK RIVER' (WA17110006000078_001_001), 2018 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Temperature. 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) · WA17110006000078_001_001

Why this score · for Steelhead
  • Temperature10028% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time4013% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity6712% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts