Sauk River Fly Fishing

The Sauk River is a well known for its fine fly fishing opportunities with native Winter Steelhead and Bull Trout being the primary quarry in this majestic river. Located approximately 1½  hours north of Seattle and south of Bellingham, Washington, the Sauk river is a fantastic destination for anyone interested in flyfishing in the great Pacific Northwest.

Rainbow Trout also call this spectacular river home. Coho and Chum Salmon return in the fall and winter. Sauk river fly fishing is fantastic much of the year; however, during peak snow and glacial melt, it becomes a dynamite destination for whitewater adventures in the upper section.

The Sauk is incredibly diverse in its scenery with copious amounts of wildlife as well. It also hosts excellent opportunities for overnight outings through much of the year.

With Congressional Wild and Scenic River designation, the Sauk is guaranteed to remain a free flowing river with little to quell its appetite for change. Virtually every year, the Sauk River finds new routes as it travels from its headwaters to the confluence with the Skagit River just West of Rockport.

The mainstem Sauk is formed when its two forks, the North and South Fork Sauk, come together in the Bedal area. Formally, the North Fork Sauk river originates from a small un-named lake outlet near Johnson Mountain while the South Fork Sauk headwaters are glacially fed from the northwest side of Columbia peak.

The Whitechuck River, a primary tributary of the Sauk, enters upriver from Darrington coming off of the Whitechuck Glacier on Glacier Peak. The Suiattle River, another prime tributary of the Sauk, enters downriver from Darrington coming off the north and east faces of Glacier Peak.

Glacier Peak is interesting in its own right. Although it is not highly recognized, this active volcano has had several violent eruptions since the ice-age glacial retreat 15,000 years ago, most recently in the 18th century. Its eruptions have been more violent and explosive than all other Washington State volcanic eruptions except for Mt. St. Helens.