Angler’s Guide Service has offered guided salmon and steelhead fishing trips on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula since 1987, when Robert and Traci Kratzer started the business running drift boat trips on the region’s steelhead streams. Based in Forks, Washington, the business fishes the Hoh, Bogachiel, Sol Duc, and Calawah Rivers, an area often called the Steelhead Fishing Capitol of the World for its wild winter-run steelhead.
Trips run out of drift boats seating two to three anglers, a 25-foot jet sled that holds four to six anglers, or 13-foot rafts built for fly fishing and low-water days when a hard boat won’t work. Every boat comes equipped for Northwest weather, including forced-air heating and bimini tops on the drift boats. All fishing equipment, including Okuma rods, tackle, and bait or flies, is provided as part of the trip.
Angler’s Guide Service accommodates both conventional tackle anglers and fly fishermen, adjusting tactics to match the water and the client’s preference. Winter steelhead season runs from mid-November through the end of April, with hatchery fish arriving first and wild fish building through January into a peak season from mid-February through March. Summer steelhead fishing picks up in June through early August, offering more aggressive, acrobatic fish in lower, warmer water, along with a chance at late-season spring Chinook on the Sol Duc River.
Rates are set per boat per day rather than per person, starting at $500 for one to two anglers, $750 for three anglers, and $1,000 for four anglers, with tax included. A 50% deposit is required to book, and larger groups needing multiple boats are welcome, with the business coordinating with other reputable local guides when needed. Corporate accounts are also available for repeat business bookings.
Because Forks-area steelhead season is highly seasonal and popular with both new and returning clients, prime dates fill up months in advance, particularly during peak wild steelhead season and among fly anglers targeting trophy-class fish. For anglers looking to fish some of the most storied steelhead water in the country with an established, multi-decade Forks guide service, Angler’s Guide Service offers a range of boat options suited to both conventional and fly fishing trips.
