Available Fishing Guide:
Website: Black Star Fishing Co.
Got my first fish out of the cowlitz!
Went down to Lamiglas HQ to get a replacement rod. Got to barrier dam about 1/2 hour after quitting time and got myself a spot in the rotation.
I had been here once this year, with my skok meat stick that didn't quite have the casting power to get to the sweet spot in the honey hole. My new rod is 9'6" so I was able to get where I needed to be. Plus, I learned the secret tech to avoid snagging on the rocks.
After a few casts I had one on, lost it. Then a bit later, fish on! A mid-sized mildly blushed buck. Thank you to the helpful angler that netted it for me.
This is a very cool fishery. There is a lot of room to fish, though you need waders/decent boots unless you plan on float fishing the deadline, where you don't need to enter the water. For a city slicker like myself navigating the river rocks can be challenging.... but its 1000x better than fishing the Green River at this time of year.
Thank you to WALAKES and the reporters. Keep it dapper people!