Cedar River (Host - Tom Beaulaurier) 

Specific meeting time and location TBD, based on fishing conditions as we get close to the outing date. To be announced ~2 weeks prior to the outing.

A favorite with Seattle locals, the Cedar River is a great, close-to-town option that offers exceptional fishing for feisty wild trout. Though the Cedar River is now a household name among anglers in the Seattle area, it wasn’t always that way. In fact, the Cedar River went largely unnoticed until it was opened for trout fishing during the summer of 2004. The river had been closed to fishing decades earlier because its salmon and steelhead runs had been devastated and still aren’t where they ought to be.

The Cedar River remains an important spawning ground for these anadromous fish. The river is still closed to any and all fishing for salmon and steelhead, and it’s also simply illegal to fish when most of these big species return and spawn. But during the years of closure, the Cedar River’s trout thrived. So, when it opened it quickly caught on, and it’s been a go-to spot for Puget Sound-area anglers ever since. You must release all of these wild trout unharmed, which helps preserve this fishery. You’ll find both rainbow trout and cutthroat trout in the Cedar River, though rainbow trout tend to be more common.

Trout 10” to 12” are very common. Trout 16” to 19” are not unusual. They are not present behind every good-looking rock however and to find them requires some diligence. The Cedar River is a walk-and-wade fishery, with an emphasis on the walk portion of that phrase. Most anglers access the river via the Cedar River Trail, which parallels the river for a large portion of the open stream. The river is open from the mouth at Lake Washington to the Landsburg Road Bridge a little more than 20 miles upstream. The season opens on the last Saturday in May and closes on August 31.

What to Bring:

• Washington state fishing license
• 4-5 weight rods with floating line
• 3x, 4x, and maybe 5x tippet, depending on which flies you use
• Net
• Rain gear
• Hat and sunglasses
• Camera (in a zip lock bag)

Flies

• Frenchies,
• Perdigons,
• Hare’s ear
• Pheasant tail
• Caddis
• Stimulators
• Terrestrial patterns