Freestone · Glacial · Washington

Queets River

Queets River venue image
Prime · Cutthroat Trout
Parachute Adams · 12-18
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
River high but settled. Coloured water — fish bigger and deeper, confident takes down the seams.
75% confidence
What moved it
  • Level2.15 mLast reading 13h ago
  • Water temp14.5°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Parachute Adams
Parachute Adams12-18
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
2.15 m
Last reading 13h ago
Water temp14.5°C
ClarityClear
Weather17°C
WindNW 13 km/h
Pressure1022 hPa
Rain · recent0.6 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

Water temperature for Cutthroat Trout
Ideal
15°C est.ideal 9–15°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Cutthroat Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 2 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July 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
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2
American March BrownHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Cutthroat Trout fly box
Local fly shops: Red's Fly Shop·Gorge Fly Shop
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • WDFW coastal steelhead rules plus Olympic National Park and Quinault tribal jurisdiction on much of the river — rules/access vary by authority and reach
  • Release wild steelhead, no removal from water
  • Verify which authority governs your reach before fishing.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 3
Hoh River
31 km
Steelhead · Chinook salmon · Coho salmon
Bogachiel River
40 km
Steelhead · Chinook salmon · Coho salmon
Sol Duc River
50 km
Steelhead · Chinook salmon · Coho salmon
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Conservation note

Olympic Peninsula wild steelhead are NOT ESA-listed (NOAA 'not warranted', Jan 2026) but are managed conservation-first. The Queets is strongly tribal- and Park-managed: the Quinault co-manage the fishery and much of the lower river sits within Olympic National Park. Respect tribal fisheries, Park rules and closures; this is a venue where 'is it open and who governs it' comes before 'is it fishing'. Release wild steelhead in the water, single barbless where required, off the redds. Chinook, coho and sea-run cutthroat present by season.

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

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'QUEETS RIVER' (WA17100102000192_002_004), 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) · WA17100102000192_002_004

The full read · show the working · for Cutthroat Trout · confidence 75%
How the 83 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time85 × 13%11.1
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity45 × 12%5.4
Conditions total= 83
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts