Steelhead South WA

[Crunchy]

The Wynoch and Cowlitz are two good ones.  How are you fishing them?  Sand shrimp tails?  Spoons?  Jig under a float? 

[Martinhunter]

Skookumchuck is a complete bust this year, worst ive seen ever!

It's little early to be saying its a bust unless of course your trying to just keep people away lol.

[WAmuleyHunter]

Never fished for steelhead in this area.  Would love to go!!! open seat? seats? Huntnphool?? lets do this!

[huntnphool]

Not everyone uses those methods, we "legitimately" catch fish there quite often.

But it still does not change the fact that 80% of the fish caught off the bank are flossed....

where do your numbers come from? Is this a documented, scientific survey or is this just some BS random number pulled out of your ars in a attempt to legitimize your opinion? 80% really?

[bloodhound]

we hit one on the nooch last monday and everyboat we talked to hit fish. not the best but is doing ok. problem is with all this dry weather its not pushing new fish up the rivers.

[throttlejocky20]

If just catching a fish is the important part, then yeah, head to Blue Creek. You won't learn much there though, other then how many slobs there actually are. If you want to learn how to fish for steelhead (reading water, ID'ing structure, working the water grid style) Blue Creek is not the place to go. Head to the Kalama, Grays or the Wynoochee/Satsop. The upper Wynoochee has MILES of water that is bank fishing only and gets little to no pressure. You'll be on your own, which in my opinion is the most important part of the day, and you'll be able to learn how to do it all without 100 guys on either side of you and worrying about getting tangled up or having some russian guy steal your fish, just sayin.

Upper nooch or kalama. Lots of good bank spots way less people.

[huntnphool]

I spoke to a buddy yesterday that told me they netted a fish in the hatchery a few days ago and along with other fish, released them back down river a ways. He said the one main fish they were looking at ended back up in the pen yesterday so they carted it back down river and released it again.

Are you guys sitting down?.............

[TheHunt]

My wife has the flu so I left really in the morning fished the Skookumchuck and came home by 11 AM.  Figuring she would sleep until then.  Looks like she has given it to me.  No good deed goes unpunished. 

There are many long leaders being fished out on the cow.  Heck there were people with 16 to 20 foot leaders.  That is flossing and it drives me nuts.   The cow now has a group of folks who could be all be related which sit on a hole and just switch out family members.   So I said to myself, you switch out I move in as well.  There were a few words but there is a  real problem down there.

Talk to officer Scott from Region 6. He will tell you the same.  There are way more important things they should be doing then jerking with these folks.  I did recommend that they add a rule to the fishing regulations which state that leaders can only be 8 feet long.  Only from Barrior Dam down to the clay bank below Blue Creek.   He laughed and said that would make many people very in effective in their fishing technique.

I am hoping the Skook gets better.

[huntnphool]

I spoke to a buddy yesterday that told me they netted a fish in the hatchery a few days ago and along with other fish, released them back down river a ways. He said the one main fish they were looking at ended back up in the pen yesterday so they carted it back down river and released it again.

Are you guys sitting down?.............

They estimated the fish at 35#

[derekeking]

Wow, thanks a lot of good info here. thanks for the suggestions of stayin away from blue creek and the cow, had my fill of bad etiquette on the nisqually this fall. 

Ended up on the upper wynoochee, had a great time hikin, caught/released what looked like some old nasty native cohos.  Definitely some steelies in there, saw one landed, but none on for me still tryin to master when/where to jig, spin, spoon or globall.  Great river though.

[Smossy]

Went out Thursday for the first time with a guide.  Total skunk!  only saw one on the beach at Blue creek on the Cowlitz river.  Other guides reported same results.  He did offer use another 1/2 price Springer trip but very disappointing.  Hope some others are having better luck.

Last Friday/Saturday they raised the river almost 4000cf/sec, and left it until yesterday, when they dropped it a bit again. I have found the bite to be off a bit when they raise it that much, until they drop it again or leave it that way for a couple weeks. Could be part of your problem on Thursday.

I was at blue creek last week, Only seen one fish on the bank in 6 hours.
Went to peek at barrier dam. Wasnt a single living soul there. NEVER not seen anyone there.
Then on top of that I heard the sirens two different times in 30 minutes that they were releasing more water.
Couple older gentlemen at blue creek said its the worst run they have seen in over 12 years. Sucks.

[Button Nubbs]

Fishing wad really good in Dec early Jan.

[huntnphool]

I was going to hit the Cowlitz today but they dropped the river from 8750 to 5750 last night, that generally throws the bite off for a couple days.

[GEARHEAD]

i was Blue last Tuesday, and just when ya think it cant get worse with the types of individuals and the fraud they perpetrate, it does. I watched this guy carrying three loads to the disabled spot, im talking big tackleboxes, bags misc gear and nets and even a propane tank and heater, three trips it took him. when i returned walking by three hours later, i observed that he had made a fourth trip, because now he had a wheel chair setting in there too. with him are three very loud retarded drunks, smoking dope, and carrying side arms, they are in their 30's, very "Able", one could even play as a line backer, and they are of course in the disabled spot fishing. They are staying down there in a large trailer, with a giant black dodge displaying a large disability placard, just absolute scum. might as well just buy fish at the store because that aint fishing. White trash Central down there.

[huntnphool]

i was Blue last Tuesday, and just when ya think it cant get worse with the types of individuals and the fraud they perpetrate, it does. I watched this guy carrying three loads to the disabled spot, im talking big tackleboxes, bags misc gear and nets and even a propane tank and heater, three trips it took him. when i returned walking by three hours later, i observed that he had made a fourth trip, because now he had a wheel chair setting in there too. with him are three very loud retarded drunks, smoking dope, and carrying side arms, they are in their 30's, very "Able", one could even play as a line backer, and they are of course in the disabled spot fishing. They are staying down there in a large trailer, with a giant black dodge displaying a large disability placard, just absolute scum. might as well just buy fish at the store because that aint fishing. White trash Central down there.

I was there Wednesday and saw that rig, and the guys you are talking about. Funny, we drifted by at one point and one of those guys made a comment about us drifting by with our gear so close to theirs, even though they were standing fishing between the boundary signs.