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Website: Black Star Fishing Co.

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Cowlitz River Report
Cowlitz County, WA

Details

04/09/2014
61° - 65°
Drift Fishing
Steelhead
Fish Eggs
Pink
Mostly Sunny
Hook & Bait
All Day
04/10/2014
1
1171

Hit Blue Creek because we heard B run steel had been pretty active. It was dead. Well, I should say it was dead anywhere up river from the actual Blue Creek. We didn't get the inside scoop from a very nice local gentleman until it was already time for us to leave. Figures... Also fished Barrier for a bit, same story up there. Some guy landed a jack Springer just free drifting huge globs of eggs...and we saw one other guy with a fish on up toward the rock garden by the falls of the dam, but he let it get out into the big boulders toward the middle of the river and lost it in there. We never saw what it was.

So here's the tip that the local guy gave us. We are pretty new to the Cow, so we didn't know this ahead of time. The steel are mainly hanging out right around Blue Creek or down river from the outfall pipe. That outfall pipe is spitting out water and the steel smell it and head for it because that's the smell they are tracking to know where they came from. So you will get a few that still go up river (we saw a banker catch one first thing in the morning up by the BC boat launch), but the main group of fish will be right around the creek, or below it. You're gonna have plenty of company down there so be forewarned. I was wondering why there were so many cars in the parking lot but nobody was fishing on the boat launch stretch of bank.

Hopefully you use this info and have better luck than we did. We completely skunked for the day. I did hook into something on a spinner, but it was very brief and after a violent shake it was gone. The skunk streak continues...can we get back to salmon season please? LOL


Comments

mizm05
4/10/2014 3:00:00 PM
And I've been corrected...there is no outfall pipe at the actual Blue Creek (only my 2nd time fishing the river...sorry). They are releasing the water through Blue Creek, so technically the creek is the outfall. Either way, go below the creek....but be prepared for 50 other guys to be headed the same way. Everyone I've met there so far has been very nice though. Especially the locals. Very helpful guys.
wbroekhof
4/10/2014 9:44:00 PM
Thanks for the report and the insight from the locals. I've never been out to the Cow but with the lawsuit it may be one of the closer rivers for the 2016/17 winter season for Puget Sound anglers. Do you know if there's bank access down river of Blue Creek with less pressure? Or would those spots be crowded out by boats?
Norm
4/10/2014 11:38:00 PM
after that oldtimer at the launch caught that small king i put on a huge gob of eggs, casted out into the middle of the river and had a bobber down but whatever it was took everything but the hook haha
mizm05
4/11/2014 3:35:00 PM
I'm not sure wbroekhof...you'd have to do satellite imaging, or just go exploring.
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Available Guide

Available Fishing Guide:
Website: Black Star Fishing Co.

Phone: (206) 351-3749