Hey folks just looking for some advice on if there is any dry fly river fishing to be had in North West Washington.
The short answer is no. Like yours, our coastal rivers do not have large populations of resident trout (and for the same reasons as a political border does not change geology or nature). The only reason Ross/Skagit has resident trout is they can't become anadromous because of the dam.
In either Canada or the US, you are going to have to head inland to find water that hosts large populations of resident trout or find a river with a waterfall or dam/series of dams that restricts/reduces anadromy. In addition, the low mineral content, regular high water scouring, and/or the steep gradient of many of our rivers are not conducive to providing enough food to support large populations of resident trout. The Yakima River in central WA (4 hrs from you) is where lots of WA people head to fish for resident trout as a series of dams restricts migration. However, from what I hear about the fishing above Ross Lake, I think you will be disappointed by the Yakima.
