Skagit River (upper)

Species:
Winter and Summer Run Steelhead, and Dolly Varden
Location:
From Concrete upstream to Diablo
Directions:
Take Interstate 5 to Burlington and turn east on Highway 20. The highway follows the Skagit River upstream for more than 60 miles to the Diablo Dam.
Facilities:
Boat ramps are located near Van Horn, Rockport, and Marblemount. Rockport State Park has about 50 RV sites and 10 tent sites, plus restrooms and showers. There are also two private RV parks/resorts near Rockport. The Totem Trail Motel is also in Rockport. Rockport country store has groceries, tackle, gas, and fishing infpormation.
Fishing the upper Skagit River:
It’s still possible to catch steelhead from the upper Skagit, but you will have to work a lot harder at it than in the good old days. Back in the day some Skagit river guides ran two trips a day, limiting on both. Catching a two fish limit here is no guaranntee, and even catching one fish can be work, whether your fishing in the summer or winter. The best months for winter runs are in January, Febraury, and March, and there’s a fair possibility of finding summer-run steelhead if you fish from June to August.
Casting fresh shrimp, back-trolling plugs, or pitching weighted spinners into the deeper green pools and drifts of the upper Skagit may also draw strikes from the river’s big Dolly Varden, some which exceed the 20 inch minimum.