Blue Creek Steelhead

[shedted]

I have fished Blue creek once this year with no luck. Can anyone throw me a bone and let me know when a good time might be to make another trip?  I am not too familiar with the winter runs.   

[huntnphool]

Winter runs used to be awesome but things have changed over the last few years that have really made it a hohum fishery, not sure what happened.

[carlyoungs]

Man u just gave up my steelhead spot.

[shedted]

hahaha!

[Tman]

I always did better on winters in feb

[carlyoungs]

I wish I could give you more Info but Iits a hit and miss. Some days they're in and then their gone. Just keep trying when you get free time. 

[chukar58]

I believe that Wdfw and Tacoma power have greatly reduced the smolt numbers for early winter steelhead in the Cowlitz.  Winter steelhead numbers are depressed this year all across Washington.   The Cowlitz used to have a decent "B" run of winter steelhead in March and April.   So keep an eye out on the hatchery reports and go from there.

[hollymaster]

Only a latter run is planted now. 

[huntnphool]

Only a latter run is planted now. 

Do we know why? It used to be a blast going down there in Dec, Jan, there were a lot of fish back then.

[hollymaster]

Only a latter run is planted now. 

Do we know why? It used to be a blast going down there in Dec, Jan, there were a lot of fish back then.

Stopped the early plant from what I hear. Only plant winter fish later in Feb? I think? 
Used to be a lights out fishery.

[Button Nubbs]

no fish in the cow this year, nothing to see here... move along...

[huntnphool]

no fish in the cow this year, nothing to see here... move along...

In all seriousness, does anyone know what has happened down there in the last 10-12 years?

 It used to be loaded with fish in the winter, the Blue Creek lot would be full of campers, the boat launch would have 20 trucks in line first thing in the morning ready to launch their boats. Fishing was awesome, with 10+ fish days being a good day.

[Button Nubbs]

They have cut plants way back. I remember watching a friend of mine hook 21 summer runs off the point one time. However, steelhead returns have been down across the state the past few years. I hope we are in a "lull" that were gonna come out of but I have a funny feeling that ain't happenin. The ps rivers are almost dead. 02-05 it was almost easy limits expected if you had half a clue.

[archery288]

no fish in the cow this year, nothing to see here... move along...

In all seriousness, does anyone know what has happened down there in the last 10-12 years?

 It used to be loaded with fish in the winter, the Blue Creek lot would be full of campers, the boat launch would have 20 trucks in line first thing in the morning ready to launch their boats. Fishing was awesome, with 10+ fish days being a good day.

My dad lives on the Cowlitz right by blue creek.  I used to go down there and fish during the summers and it was nothing to catch and release 5-10 summer run a day. There were days I would hook 20+ fish.  It used to be unconscious... Tacoma power decided about 5 years ago that they were going to reduce the steelhead eggs being raised and released and focus more on the native salmon run which is insane because that river doesn't have much of a native salmon run... On top of that, they were trying to bring back a native run of steelhead for the winter run, and moved the release date of the smalt so they'd return in February through April.  They've completely screwed up that river and no end in sight!

[Button Nubbs]

no fish in the cow this year, nothing to see here... move along...

In all seriousness, does anyone know what has happened down there in the last 10-12 years?

 It used to be loaded with fish in the winter, the Blue Creek lot would be full of campers, the boat launch would have 20 trucks in line first thing in the morning ready to launch their boats. Fishing was awesome, with 10+ fish days being a good day.

My dad lives on the Cowlitz right by blue creek.  I used to go down there and fish during the summers and it was nothing to catch and release 5-10 summer run a day. There were days I would hook 20+ fish.  It used to be unconscious... Tacoma power decided about 5 years ago that they were going to reduce the steelhead eggs being raised and released and focus more on the native salmon run which is insane because that river doesn't have much of a native salmon run... On top of that, they were trying to bring back a native run of steelhead for the winter run, and moved the release date of the smalt so they'd return in February through April.  They've completely screwed up that river and no end in sight!

I get trying to recover wild fish and agree with it for the most part but there are some rivers where it ain't ever gonna happen. The cow is one of them, I say plug that thing with hatchery smolts and focus on bringing wild fish back on systems where it may actually work.

[buckfvr]

I am gratefull to have fished the Cowlitz from the late 70s through the wonder years........I can remember fishing the point in the peak of the winter run with only 4 guys there.......talk about hook ups !!!!!!  I can remember the springer runs that  were nonstop action.

The Cow has gone the way of the Skagit....never to regain its glory days.  The Cow was an amazing experience for those who could be there late 70s through the 80s, but most of all, the earlier years with literally no fishing competition.  I guess many of us took salmon and steelhead for granted because of how it was......you wanted fish, you went and got it.
 
We would go down friday after work and punch two fish before midnight and then punch two more before day break....then head out for breakfast and the trip home.............awwww, what it was............

[wildmanoutdoors]

John's got it right. And TPU was under contract in the good ole days to release a set number of fish. Then to get around it the "restore" campain came and washed TPU's contract obligations down the drain.

Mayfield dam has no fish passage. Make the Cow a hatchery monster like it used to be and forget the "restore" part of it.

[snowpack]

no fish in the cow this year, nothing to see here... move along...

In all seriousness, does anyone know what has happened down there in the last 10-12 years?

 It used to be loaded with fish in the winter, the Blue Creek lot would be full of campers, the boat launch would have 20 trucks in line first thing in the morning ready to launch their boats. Fishing was awesome, with 10+ fish days being a good day.

I think that is the case almost everywhere in the state.   Mostly I think it is due to dialing down hatchery plants.  Seems they used to plant a lot more (whole lot).  Even letting private groups plant.  I still see some of the abandoned hatcheries out in the woods.  They used to allow a lot of volunteer work.  If you fished certain spots near the old hatcheries and were the first one there in the morning or last to leave, the gate was open and you'd toss a bucket of pellets in the ponds.  Then they had fish trailers that you could borrow and hitch to your truck and you could go put fish that you clipped in streams around the area...some really small creeks got planted, but they gave a place to fish near town and while the big rivers were blown out.  If you fish the rivers that the tribes plant, seems they haven't changed much...which was average then, but seems like good fishing now.

[Shane54]

This has already been said but it's to "improve native runs of fish in the river" which I think is total BS! The only true native salmon in that river WERE chums! Yes at one point there was a native steelhead run in that river but it has long since gone! Any " native" fish pulled out of that river is a misclip or a descendent of a hatchery fish.