Washington State is the beating heart of the Pacific Northwest, nicknamed “The Evergreen State” because it is so green due to abundant rainfall. Washington state encompasses an area of 71,362 square miles and contains approximately 70,439 miles of rivers including the mighty Columbia River. The upper Columbia is a terrific and very consistent rainbow trout tailwater fishery. The Olympic Peninsula and 922,650 acres of Olympic National Park is home to some of the largest wild steelhead on the continent. More than 7.6 million people call Washington home, and approximately 60 percent of Washington’s residents live in the Seattle metropolitan area. That leaves plenty of space; mostly evergreen forests, maritime islands and coasts, rivers, streams and lakes to explore and fly fish.