WDFW and Tacoma Power are hosting a public meeting regarding Cowlitz River fisheries and hatchery programs May 29 in Centralia. If you don’t attend the meeting, you’ve lost your right to complain about what WDFW and Tacoma Power are doing to our fish, in my opinion. The meeting is scheduled from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Centralia College in Washington ... Read More »
If you’re thinking about fishing other side of the Cowlitz River at Barrier Dam, think again! Those are closed waters. I was there this afternoon when two guys were visited by our local friendly WDFW enforcement officer. They didn’t have any fish, so they didn’t get a fine for that, but they did spend some time talking with the officer. ... Read More »
Avoid the massive crowds hitting the local lakes and ponds for opening day of trout season and head to the Cowlitz — it’s been a good week and it looks like it’s gonna be a good weekend! The week of April 15 Tacoma Power recovered 427 winter-run steelhead, five summer-run steelhead, 63 spring Chinook adults and two jacks during five ... Read More »
The B-run of winter-fun (sic) steelhead are finally starting to show up in numbers on the Cowlitz River. I talked to a few guides that had some great luck this weekend (and we all know “luck” has more to do with knowledge and preparation than the favor of the fickle Lady Luck). The boats weren’t limiting out in a fast ... Read More »
Things are looking up! Yesterday at least four Chinook were hooked at the Barrier Dam, two were landed, the other two still have hooks in them somewhere. Only one steelhead was hauled to the bank. Last week Tacoma Power recovered 145 winter-run steelhead and one cutthroat trout during five days of operations at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator. During the ... Read More »
They’ve been calling this “The Year of the BIG Steelhead.” The B-run of the winter-run steelhead generally run larger than the fish in the early run, that’s a well-known fact. The early run of the winter-run steelhead normally range between 6 and 10 pounds, a big fish in the late run is usually around 15 pounds. This year they are ... Read More »
The number of steelhead making their way up to the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery nearly quadrupled this week. But don’t get too excited, there were just a half dozen steelhead last week. If you’ve heard rumors of early spring Chinook being caught at Barrier Dam and Blue Creek last week, don’t believe them. (The locals — myself included — would rather ... Read More »
Last week Tacoma Power recovered just six winter-run steelhead, 17 coho adults and four jacks during five days of operations at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator. Last week’s count was 12 winter-run steelhead and the week before that 24 steelhead came through the separator. The count has gone nowhere but down over the last several weeks. We are still looking for ... Read More »
Last week Tacoma Power recovered just 12 winter-run steelhead and five coho adults at the separator. Yup. Seventeen fish. As I walked the banks near Barrier Dam and down at Blue Creek Saturday afternoon I only heard rumors of one steelhead caught at each site that morning. The only fish that I actually saw were the several cutthroat trout hanging ... Read More »
COWLITZ RIVER — For those of you that think of a good days fishing and instantly recall hot summer days spent kicked back in a row boat on a lake with a lazy attitude and six-pack of cold beer, quietly drinking in the scenery and not really caring whether you go home with anything more than a deeper tan — ... Read More »
