July marks the typical beginning of summer weather in the Pacific Northwest.  We should start seeing more sunshine and less rain as the month progresses.  July is also a great month to be a fly fisherman on the Olympic Peninsula. 

The big news for July is that the saltwater salmon seasons open almost everywhere.  The main focus early in the month will be in the Western Strait and Pacific Ocean for coho and this year's massive return of pinks.  For those looking for a challenge, chinook salmon fishing will be open inside the Strait.  Look for kings to be shallow along the kelp beds very early in the morning.  Mid to late July should see the pink salmon numbers build in the Eastern Strait and Puget Sound.  Don't wait to fish for  the pinks because if you put off fishing for them in 2013 you'll have to wait until 2015. 

 

Lake Crescent continues fishing well throughout the summer.  As the snows continue melting in the Olympics, more of the high alpine lakes become accessible.  We often get some of our warmest weather in July so it can be a great time to head to the high country in search of hungry trout and cooler temps.

Of course, we're not forgetting the rivers.  Summer steelhead and sea-run cutthroat are still available in the coastal rivers.  Water levels should continue dropping through the month.  Warmer weather could make the glacial rivers dirtier but on the smaller rivers we will likely be dealing with low and clear water.  Longer leaders and more natural colored flies are often just the ticket for these conditions.  Sea-run cutthroat fishing will remain good and if we get any rain there should be a fresh pulses of fish.  There are also resident trout in many of our rivers, and with decreased snowmelt the fishing on some of the smaller streams will improve over the next few weeks.    

We leave you with a couple pictures of last Saturday's beautiful sunset.

Curt took this shot of the sun setting over Lake Crescent.

Chris took a photo of the same sunset at Neah Bay.