The last couple of weeks I’ve been fishing the Cowlitz and Lewis rivers. The summer Steelhead are starting to show in good numbers now. The last couple of trips we hooked 5-7 Steelhead each day. This is a photo taken on Friday, June 18th. We hooked 7 Steelhead and landed 5, a great day! We are starting to see good water levels to fish. It has been a wet spring. July and August should be great, so get your days booked soon. Fish on.
We fished for 3 days straight this last week on the Cowlitz river for Chinook Salmon. On Wednesday we landed three very nice springers, I personally had a chance to and land one of them. Thursday I had a father and daughter team with me, Andrea and Geo. We started our day off with a nice 12 pound Steelhead, Andrea was the lucky one this time, and 20 minutes later she lands a 9 pound Chinook. We continued fishing for a couple more hours, and finally Geo lands a mint bright springer and wouldn’t you know it, on the very next pass Andrea gets a 17 pound spring Chinook. That was a fitting end to a great father – daughter day.
Friday was a bit slower in the morning, we had missed a strike on the first pass. My group on this day were four construction guys. We worked our way down the Cowlitz river, and at the next hole we started our pass. By the time we had all five rods out in the water, the boss hooks and lands a 13 pound Salmon. We continued to fish hard for another three to four hours and found two more dandy spring Chinooks, both weighing in the upper teens. When it came time for photos though, the construction boys were a bit shy, so no pictures this time, just fish stories… sorry. Turned out to be 3 great days of spring Chinook fishing on the Cowlitz river, a good sign of lots of great springer days to come.
We fished once again on the Cowlitz River on Saturday March 20th. The fish were biting well and we hooked 5 nice Steelhead but no Chinook Salmon was to be found. There were more people on the river this day then I had seen in a long while. Out of the five-hooked Steelhead, we could land only three; they were putting up a good hard fight.
Sunday the 21st, I had three guys with me; all of us were recovering from the fun had at the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) banquet the night before. The guided fishing trips that were raffled off courtesy of Mike’s Guide Service at the banquet were well received, we had sold $1550 worth of tickets. Walt, another CCA member who helped me with the raffle, jumped into the boat with us and landed the first two fish of the morning. We fish hard all morning with only those two fish to show for our efforts, but finally around mid-afternoon we hooked another Steelhead. After that we hooked two more fish in the late afternoon and lost both of them, turned out to be a tough afternoon of fishing but still a lot of fun.
Tuesday the 23rd, out on the Cowlitz River again. This time I have a father and his son, Scott and Jeff with me. We started out on our first long drift, and Jeff immediately lands a nice 9-pound Steelhead, then about one hour later Jeff lands another Steelie weighing in at around 10 pounds. Just about this time the bragging and boosting starts, this definitely was a father and son day. By the end of the day we had landed 3 Steelhead and lost 2 others; chalk it up as another good day of Steelhead fishing on the Cowlitz River.
Last week I had 3 guys who have been friends for over 30 years fish for 2 days on the Cowlitz River for winter run Steelhead. My clients for this Cowlitz River winter Steelhead fishing trip were Walt from Nevada, Pat from Oregon and Oliver from Illinois.
Walt with Cowlitz River Steelhead
Pat with Cowlitz River Steelhead
My clients wanted to sleep in and still catch Steelhead, so on Wednesday, March 10th we again launched on the Cowlitz River at 9:00am. Walt was the first one to get a bite. He set the hook and the first Steelhead was in the boat. By this time, Oliver was really itching to catch a Steelhead, and thankfully he did not have to wait too much longer. We were drifting on the “port” side of the boat when the bite came. Oliver set the hook and was determined not to let this Steelhead get off. After I netted the 13-pound “buck” Steelhead we stopped for a shore lunch of Steelhead sandwiches made from yesterday’s dinner leftovers.
Oliver with 13 pound Cowlitz River Steelhead
While drifting on the starboard side Oliver was next to get a bite. After the hook was set the angry Steelhead jumped 3 feet in the air and proceeded to cut the line with his teeth. This lucky Steelhead survived to see another day and continue up river to spawn. We made another pass along the same water, and Pat landed his second fish of the day.
After two days of winter Steelhead fishing on the Cowlitz River were completed, we had boated ten clipped Steelhead from 7 to 14 pounds. I cleaned the fish for them and they returned home with fresh Steelhead for the dinner table.
13 lb Chehalis River Winter Steelhead
At about 9 o’clock we hook a very nice native Steelhead, weighing in at about 14 pounds. On our next pass we hook another nice Steelhead, a 13 pounder, another fighting native fish. We worked the area for about another 5 or 6 passes with no action. So we start fishing our way down river, and to my surprise, the guys were still wishing we were on the Cowlitz. These Western Washington rivers are difficult to know where to be and when without an experienced Guide. We fish another mile or two of river and hook another nice native Steelhead at around 13 pounds, and it was a dandy, these fish are so strong and such hard fighters. The sad thing was, I personally hooked all three fish, even though my clients had 3 good take downs that came up empty.
Wednesday the 24th, we fish the Cowlitz river on a short morning trip, and land a real nice 10 pound hatchery Steelhead immediately. On the second pass we fish on downstream another 3 to 4 miles without a bite. We head back up to where we had started and make 2 more passes and hook another fish. These crazy Cowlitz river Steelhead out foxed us and live to see another day.
February the 26th, we started out at Blue Creek on the Cowlitz river. I have Ernie and Rick with me today. On our first pass we get to the end of the run and I say, “reel ’em in guys”, then Rick yells, “Ernie’s got a Steelhead on”, the fish makes a couple of runs and then heads straight at the boat, spitting the hook at us. I asked Ernie what had happened, he says, “I couldn’t reel fast enough”, we all chuckle out loud
Back up the river we went, this week is prime time for Western Washington’s mighty Cowlitz river, with a B-run of winter Steelhead to get things started. Being the owner of Mike’s Guide Service and having spent a lot of time on the river, I know that during this last week of February through mid April, is when my customers should schedule their days for great Steelhead fishing. Occasionally we even get to put a spring Chinook in the box.
Cowlitz River Buck Steelhead
After that we decided to fish the canyon, on the first cast Rick yells “Fish on”, yet it had already come off. Another hundred yards and Ernie says, “Fish on”, another great Steelhead around 14 pounds. We try a few more drifts and catch another Cowlitz Steelhead in the tail out, we’ve seen 4 to 5 other fish caught nearby.
Here we go again, Ernie has another fish that is so bright Rick says “is that a salmon?”, we finally get a good look, its another beautiful Cowlitz river Steelhead. Time for some lunch, says Rick, and after a short break with 4 nice Steelhead and some great photos, we decide to fish some water where we might find some salmon. We put big bait on the hooks and go looking, and wouldn’t you know it, on the second drift Rick gets another Steelhead, but a few minutes later it comes off. I ask Rick and Ernie if they want to keep fishing and Rick says, “my back is about done in” and Ernie wants another pass. Last drift, and I get a bite. I set the hook and the fight is on. Ernie and Rick both tell me to land it, and I do, it’s a bright chrome, 10 pound Steelhead. With 5 in the box we head for the ramp. Another great day on the Cowlitz river.
18 pound Cowlitz river Steelhead
We decide to call it a day and head for home. We have had no rain and lots of nice big fish, another awesome day on the Cowlitz river, Western Washington at its best.
We are off at 6am to fish the Chehalis River, near Centralia, WA. As we drift downstream of the put in, I get a strike almost immediately. We are all awake now with the possibility of hot action right from the start, another rod gets a strike, the adrenaline is starting to pump. We are drifting roe behind a bobber, a great rig for reducing the time spent snagged up and retying leader.
Water on the Chehalis is high and has a bit of color, visibility is not to good. Joe gets the first fish and then another, both Northern Pike Minnows (Ptychocheilus oregonesis), a voracious eater, which carries a bounty on their heads in the Columbia river. After taking some verbal teasing, Joe gets even, as each of us lands a big minnow, good for a short burst of adrenaline, and a little warmth. We are beginning to wonder if the Steelhead are here. Our answer comes soon, as another boat hooks a native in the hole above us, and later hooks another keeper further down stream.
With four rods and 12 miles of river already covered, Evan hooks and lands a nice 12 pound clipped hatchery Steelhead, we are all proud, all is well that ends well. Tomorrow we head up to the Cowlitz River.
On the Cowlitz River
The weather is nice, the river is running high, but the visibility is good. Reports from other boats tell us the fish are here, but spread a little thin. We see an 18-pound native get released…game on. By the early afternoon we have 3 shiny 10 to 12 pound Steelhead in the boat. One rod hooked all the fish, it’s lucky Doc Kirby’s day.