WFS 154 – Olympic Peninsula Steelhead Fishing with Trevor Covich – Spey, Forks
Show Notes: wetflyswing.com/154
Trevor Covich shares his story of how came to be a full time fly fishing guide splitting his time between the Olympic Peninsula and Alaska. We dig into the story of how the Olympic Peninsula changed into a big swing game and how you can find big fish and quiet waters even as pressure increases.
We find out who Perry was and why the poke is such a key cast to know when fishing tight waters. Lots of great tips for the OP with a focus on fishing higher water with short rods and unweighted flies.
Show Notes with Trevor Covich
05:50 – John Covich is the guy behind Fly Water Travel for Cuba and was a big influence in getting Trevor into fly fishing.
06:50 – Creekside Angling was the local shop that held fly tying classes and is the place where Trevor got started.
14:50 – Trevor talked about the changes with Jerry French coming into the area. Jerry was on the podcast in episode 139.
17:51 – We noted Bruce Kruk who is the long belly guy in the upper Columbia.
23:50 – Trevor still uses the OPST lines but used the skagit flight in the past. He likes the OPST commando head with a 12’ 9” rod.
37:45 – We talk about Nick Rowell and the Deschutes.
40:45 – We note the Air Flo FIST which is a great line that sticks to the water and is a great chinook line.
44:00 – The Guide Fly is Trevor’s basic goto pattern.
50:00 – The Dirty Hoh flies from Jerry French.
52:00 – George Cook was on the podcast in episode 131 – Trevor describes how George got the spey rod first into his hands.
54:10 – Charles St. Pierre was known as the doctor and would smooth out your spey cast.
1:01:40 – John McMillan was on the podcast in episode 117 + he has his own podcast here as part of the Barbless network.
1:05:45 – Waters West is the local fly shop in the area.
You can find Trevor here trevor_covich on insta or
Top Ten Steelhead Tips for the OP Get out on the river when river isn’t perfect to separate yourself Change with the change in the traveling lane Use a shorter rod to avoid chopping would with your rod Slow rolling fish are the biters Use the Perry Poke in tight quarters Start short and fish your feet Every eat from a steelhead is different Use unweighted flies with the right tip Fish deeper into the tail out – Fish 10 more after you want to quit Diamond chop – Find the chop, find the cover and find the fish
The Two best Spey Line Tips for the Op The 5 and 5 of T11 – These are the mow tips. These tips are 10 feet long. This is 5 feet of floating and 5 feet of sinking. 2.5 floating and 7.5 foot sinking section of T14 – This is a good all around tip for the OP.
Resources Noted in the Show
The Commando head from OPST
Air Flo FIST Line
Videos and/or podcasts Noted in the Show
The Upstream Perry Poke by Trevor
Conclusion with Trevor Covich
Trevor Covich is on the podcast to share some tips on fishing the Olympic Penisula for steelhead. He tells us why you should be fishing the river when it’s high and why some of the biggest fish come then.
Trevor describes some great tips on fishing for steelhead with a spey rod during high water events. We talk about the best two tips to use for steelhead.
Show Notes: wetflyswing.com/154
