Night Fishing for Steelhead?

[Smossy]

Is it legal on the skook? What are the regulations/restrictions on it?
It says:
ALL SPECIES - First Sat. in June-Mar. 31: no min. size for adipose fin clipped TROUT. Aug. 16-Nov. 30:
night closure and single-point barbless hooks required.

Kinda hard to read the way they put it together, Just want some assurance. Night fishing legal before Aug?
In the regulation book is a steelhead considered trout or salmon? I dont see anywhere it actually says "steelhead"

[D-Rock425]

I can tell you this steelhead is not a salmon.  I would go with trout normally it would say something about 2 hatchery steelhead.  Don't have a set of regs here with me or id help more.

[PolarBear]

Not sure if they have changed it but we use to steelhead at night on the Skook.  I'm sure that it has to be bouyant gear though.  Plunking glow in the dark Spin-N-Glo's and eggs or shrimp were the trick.

[Hunterman]

A trout is a trout until it reached 20" in a river, stream, or a lake that has a river or stearm flowing into or out of it.

Hunterman(Tony)

[Smossy]

A trout is a trout until it reached 20" in a river, stream, or a lake that has a river or stearm flowing into or out of it.

Hunterman(Tony)

Then what is it? Lol

[Smossy]

Not sure if they have changed it but we use to steelhead at night on the Skook.  I'm sure that it has to be bouyant gear though.  Plunking glow in the dark Spin-N-Glo's and eggs or shrimp were the trick.

So like drifitng eggs or something?

[Hunterman]

A trout is a trout until it reached 20" in a river, stream, or a lake that has a river or stearm flowing into or out of it.

Hunterman(Tony)

Then what is it? Lol

I should have stated that a rainbow trout is a rainbow trout until it reaches 20", then it becomes classified as a steelhead trout.

Hunterman(Tony)

[BigGoonTuna]

perfectly legal, no special restrictions at night this time of year.

that said, most of the guys going down there at night are snagging fish from my experience...

[TheHunt]

Just be aware the there are multiple colors for glow in the dark.  Make sure you have some different colors. 

Turn off your head lap as much as possible.   

You will need some type of light to charge the glow bait.  Camera Flasher is what I normally used but I have gone to a UV flashlight. 

PolarBear is right that the folks who plunk at night catch more fish the the drifters.  You can stay close to your rig because of the Tweekers. 

It is fun...  You must Embrace the Darkness.  lol   

[Smossy]

perfectly legal, no special restrictions at night this time of year.

that said, most of the guys going down there at night are snagging fish from my experience...

None of that for us, Just looking to get into some steelhead, Havent fished for any since last year and I work so much its hard to get away. So tonight me and a co-worker are gonna try to get into some I know what your saying though for sure.

[Smossy]

Just be aware the there are multiple colors for glow in the dark.  Make sure you have some different colors. 

Turn off your head lap as much as possible.   

You will need some type of light to charge the glow bait.  Camera Flasher is what I normally used but I have gone to a UV flashlight. 

PolarBear is right that the folks who plunk at night catch more fish the the drifters.  You can stay close to your rig because of the Tweekers. 

It is fun...  You must Embrace the Darkness.  lol   

Ok perfect. Basically everything Ive read is what you said spot on, Try to keep away from headlamps because they spook the fish. Where is mostly everyone going? Last time I fished up there it was by the dam. Not even sure if its open there yet is it?
I do have multiple glows in green and pink. Smaller hook the better?
I also have every yarn color under the rainbow and 3 diff types of shrimp juice. No shrimp bait though 

[TheHunt]

If I was to go and drift fish.  Go to the dam and fish the dead line. 

If the water is down (I have not looked at the flows)  bring a float rod and put the glow in the dark corky first, then bobber.  If you have those lighted sticks that you attach to the bobber those work better.  You can put all sorts of crap under a bobber. 

Pick four shrimp at the store (fred meyer) to to a 7-11 on the way to the fishing hole and put those shrimp in their microwave for 20 seconds to firm them up.  Now you have some bait on the quick. 

[SkookumHntr]

One little tip on the chuck, especially if your fishing at night, they like crawlers! Try that at the big corner! 

[PolarBear]

 
Big nightcrawlers with a small glow in the dark corky in front of it to keep it off of the bottom.  Put a tiny bit of shrimp or anise oil on it and you are golden!  By the way, hatchery fish tend to like anise scents due to the fact that it smells like what the hatcheries use to disinfect the holding ponds.  It gets imprinted in them as smolts.  At least that is what a couple of WDFW Biologists and a couple hatchery workers told me.

[duckmen1]

Anybody been doing any good up there for steelies yet. Or is it still early.

[pilebuck]

Some rivers no night fishing. But I will say they ride close to shore at night like real close. I plunk for them drifting at night would be a challenge. I have caught chum at night good luck

[PolarBear]

I heard from a reliable source that all the fish in the Skook that are being caught are in the last couple miles of the river towards the mouth.  Most Western WA rivers are practically dead right now due to lack of water. 

[pilebuck]

 

[PolarBear]

You could always hit the Nooch.  There were right at 125+ boats on it the other day and nobody was catching fish.  We hit the Hump and hit 2 brats righ off the bat and nothing the rest of the day.  No body else out of 3 other boats had even gotten a hit.  We need some rain to freshen things up and color things up a bit!

[snowpack]

You could always hit the Nooch.  There were right at 125+ boats on it the other day and nobody was catching fish.  We hit the Hump and hit 2 brats righ off the bat and nothing the rest of the day.  No body else out of 3 other boats had even gotten a hit.  We need some rain to freshen things up and color things up a bit!

  I also heard 130 counted on Wednesday.  Can't imagine what the weekend will look like. 

[PolarBear]

Yeah, every guide on this side of the state is fishing it hoping to hit it on the right day.  If I didn't have a private piece of land to fish up higher, I wouldn't fish it at all!  Ate least I can fish until 9 or 10 am before the first drift boat shows up and stinks up the holes.

[Smossy]

Update: Cooold night. Got there around 530pm and left at around 12, had to leave because the ice balls on my eyelits where so thick that my line couldnt flow and froze to my rod. Didnt want to risk breaking y eyelits out trying to get them off so we called it a night. No steelhead. Hooked into a few chum, one close to 20lbs. Big boys in there right now.
Let me say its definetly an art and not easy to fish in the dark, even alittle spooky we were the only ones out there and I kept hearing things all around me.

And to whoever pulled 3 chum up and left them way up on the bank. Theres names for you that I cant say without getting banned. Idiots.

[Bullkllr]

Hey at least you gave it a try. Give it another try when it warms up and more fish move in.

Night fishing is pretty weird. You definitely have to really want to do it to make it work.

Haven't done it in years. Cowlitz used to be the spot for night steelhead fishing. Used to do it in a sled as well as from the bank. Heard the after-dark crowd down there got pretty strange the past several years though.

[TheHunt]

Hey at least you gave it a try. Give it another try when it warms up and more fish move in.

Night fishing is pretty weird. You definitely have to really want to do it to make it work.

Haven't done it in years. Cowlitz used to be the spot for night steelhead fishing. Used to do it in a sled as well as from the bank. Heard the after-dark crowd down there got pretty strange the past several years though.

My son and I have seen many interesting things.  Saw a dude duct taped to a trailer tongue.  Saw where someone took a dump in the urinal.  Saw someone snagging with 20 foot leader.  Saw a person just walked away from the river about 20 yards and drop his pants and took a dump.   What is wrong with people?

[BigGoonTuna]

i have had many good days on the cowlitz at night.  i used to fish it a lot from the early '90s to around 2004 or so.  i can remember seeing more fish being packed out by guys on the walk in to blue creek than you'd see caught all day down there now.

20 years ago it wasn't such a sketchy crowd, but i can't deal with it now.  the worst ones are the guys that leave a lantern going on the bank, or who leave their headlamps on when they aren't tying gear up or baiting their hooks.  i can't stand being blinded by those idiots.

[huntnphool]

i have had many good days on the cowlitz at night.  i used to fish it a lot from the early '90s to around 2004 or so.  i can remember seeing more fish being packed out by guys on the walk in to blue creek than you'd see caught all day down there now.

20 years ago it wasn't such a sketchy crowd, but i can't deal with it now.  the worst ones are the guys that leave a lantern going on the bank, or who leave their headlamps on when they aren't tying gear up or baiting their hooks.  i can't stand being blinded by those idiots.

Glow balling was a lot of fun back then.

[mainer78]

I have been up there a few times during the day and at night.  Caught. Few steelhead. Here's one from the 21st.   Night time is fun.  No luck yet but get a fire going and a bell on your pole and your golden.   

[Rodney107]

Fishing at night is the best

[Buckslaya]

I have been up there a few times during the day and at night.  Caught. Few steelhead. Here's one from the 21st.   Night time is fun.  No luck yet but get a fire going and a bell on your pole and your golden.   

That sounds like a lot of fun! Cold but fun.