Launches on the Hoh River?

I'm planning on fishing the Hoh River in late March for steelhead, but I've never launched or taken out on the Hoh. I live in Vancouver, so my 'home river' is the Kalama.

My rig is a small SUV so I can't navigate steep or really rough launches. Anyone have any suggestions on fairly tame launches and take outs on the Hoh in March? Thanks in advance!

Probably oxbow to g&l, or cottonwood to g&l. I haven't looked at cottonwood recently though. And the g&l road had a pretty steep section. There's two ways down there...

Dean Swerin (turn around guy) may also provide some guidance. 907-252-1710

That's really the only float you'd want to do with no previous experience on the river.

Put in....Allen Bar, long gravel bar, West of 101. During the late 80's and early 90's, my favorite float was from Allen Bar to either Nolan Ck. or to G & L Shake.


The Hoh River changes course, often, in the years I fished the Hoh the take outs were "no problem" for me.


I stopped fishing the Hoh, not because of the river but because "gill nets" were allowed further up river.....until they were at Allen Bar.


There was no turn around, when I was fishing the Hoh......I'd sure use that for knowledge.

Allen Bar and Cottonwood are about the only launches/takeouts I would recommend on the Hoh without a good 4x4. The new road to G&L is pretty rough. I would check with Dean (the turnaround guy mentioned earlier) before committing to Barlow's (lowest takeout point). That takeout has moved a few times in my recent memory, and it never has been in a very friendly spot, if you ask me. Oxbow can go either way, but I've seen some pretty beefy rigs get stuck in the loose gravel there, and it only lets you fish about a quarter mile more river than putting in at Allen's (that can be a good quarter mile to fish, but probably not worth the extra, potential trouble).

Allen's to Cottonwood would be easy, but that's a much shorter float than you probably want to do.

Another "iffy" option is to put in at Morgan's Crossing (last real launch before the Park) and take out at Allen's. Last time I put in at Morgan's the gravel bar was really rough (big rocks), but if you take it SLOW, your rig should survive. Launches on the Hoh are mostly pretty rough, even under the best of conditions. I think you can find a good float, though. Try calling Dean. He'll know what your realistic options are.

Lol..years ago my 4Wd took a poop, so I had my 2W drive and watched a big 4Wd get stuck at the bottom of Oxbow after a huge spike, so I unhooked my boat at the top of the ramp at let her rip! I’d rather drag 30 feet then dig for an hour

We're assuming a lot here on Cottonwood depending on what your SUV is and ground clearance. With several of these launches, it can be a ways out to the water across a bar, and the next time you visit it's right next to the road.
I would seriously suggest you take a scouting run the evening before you plan to launch/takeout. You should always be prepared with 75' of rope, and launches like Oxbow are no longer a challenge.

I will second using Dean and even asking him for guidance. He is incredibly knowledgeable in guided those Rivers when it wasnt cool. Top-shelf dude!

This.

Thanks everyone for the input and suggestions.

Here is a quick trip report:

The weather on the Olympic Peninsula this past weekend was perfect for doing anything except fishing. It was absolutely cloudless. Bright, sunny and warm. Temperatures were in the low 70’s. Just another typical day in Forks, Washington in early spring (not….)

We fished the Hoh River on Saturday and the Queets on Sunday. Both rivers were low. Really low. The Hoh was crystal clear. The Queets was glacially turbid but still very low. In some places on the Hoh, you could walk across the river without getting your knees wet. We didn’t have to drag our drift boat over any riffles, but it was close.

On the Hoh, we put in at Allen’s Bar and drifted to G&L Shake. There were three of us in our drift boat. We didn’t move a single fish. No hits, no strikes. Nothing. We tossed beads under a float mostly, but I tossed spinners and spoons too. But nothing was biting. Lots of other boats and anglers, but they weren't doing any better.

On Sunday, we tried to float the Queets but we deemed the take-out ramp to be too steep and rough for the vehicle we had. We could easily put in at the Hartzell launch, but the take out was too difficult. So we went upstream of Hartzell, and fished the river on foot. But the results were the same. No fish, no hits.

It was a wonderful weekend to be on the Olympic Peninsula, as long as you weren’t trying to catch fish……..

Thanks again everyone.

Long pull, from Vancouver, to find fish empty rivers. I have not fished the Hoh since the early 90's. Another example of "what used to be and what it is".


To much netting, yes I know they have the right but to increase number of net fishermen ???????? grrrrrrrrr


I also remember, many guide boat, in the summer time, would blow right past us to get to the springer holes.....we always caught fish, maybe not the 30+ springers but "jacks and summer run steelhead" were around.


I miss the upper OP rivers, pictures and memories make me smile with good the good times of days probably never to be seen again.

Amen drifter.
Those upper stretches are fvckin magical.