I wouldn't dismiss these freelancing websites altogether though, it takes a bit to identify potential good clients, a lot of people got burnt by the outsourcing companies and are actually ready to pay sensible rates. I got my current job through one of these sites, first taking on a node.js job and then moving to basically full-time freelancing. I don't make that much as for jobs I got through personal and industry contacts, but the client is pretty much the best I ever got. That kind of freedom and respect (and quickly paid invoice, like 10 minutes after I sent them) is worth its money too.

But else, industry and personal contacts, building up contacts through giving speeches and being a part of the development community (user groups, etc...) works best for me.