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COWLITZ RIVER - WINTER HATCHERY STEELHEAD
MID NOVEMBER TO LATE FEBRUARY
Mid November means that the long awaited winter steelhead-fishing season has finally arrived once again. For some fishing fanatics and enthusiasts this winter fishery is the beginning of the season. It is also one of my favorites! It all starts around the second week of November when the first of the anticipated winter hatchery steelhead begin to show up and nose into the Cowlitz River and other Southwest Washington rivers. The winter hatchery steelhead run will peak around mid December and begin to taper off in late January. There is a second run of hatchery steelhead that start to show in February on the heels of the first run. This run will last well into March.
The first run will build into winters first days as 150 or so steelhead come into the river each day through the first week or so in December, (the peak). These winter hatchery steelhead will begin to stack up in the Blue Creek area of the Cowlitz river just below the hatchery. The numbers of fish entering the river each day will begin to taper off after Christmas but the fishing will continue well into February. The winter hatchery steelhead is what makes the Cowlitz river renowned for steelhead fishing. Close to Tacoma, Seattle, Olympia, Portland, Oregon and Sea-Tac Airport make this a destination steelhead river for out of town guests.
The first run of winter hatchery steelhead that enter the Cowlitz river are usually the bigger ones and some will enter the river at an impressive 14 to 18 pounds with the occasional 20 pound steelhead to round it off. You will see mostly 12-pound steelhead in December and then 6 – 8 pound average fish in January, February and March.
We fish the Cowlitz river from our heated 23'– 6” Alumaweld super-vee pro jet boat, a very stable platform that can accommodate up to six fishermen for the type of fishing trips we offer here. We use only the finest of equipment, including g-Loomis and Lamiglass fishing rods, Gamakatsu hooks, Shimano and Ambassadeur reels and Izorline. Of course if you're more comfortable with your own gear, bring it along. We mostly use ultra-light G-Loomis spinning rods and Shimano Stradic reels filled with 10 or 12 pound Hi-Vis line. On the terminal end we use either a single no. 1 bait hook with a corky and yarn, or yarn with a small offering of cured salmon eggs or shrimp. We also use a double, (tandem tied), no. 4 hooks with bait or shrimp. We utilize a drift fishing or side drift technique, (where all the gear is cast out one side of the boat and the whole boat and cast gear slide down the river along a seam, along the riverbank, or through a hole). At times we will also pull divers & bait or cast a float and jig or a float and bait, shrimp or cured salmon eggs. We might also pull diving plugs like a Hotshot or a Tadpolly after we have gone through a drift with other gear or side drifting with bait.
During this time you can catch anywhere from 6 to 12 fish per day. During the winter steelhead fishery we have had days with up to 20 fish hooked for four fishermen.
Reserve fishing dates as early as possible because prime dates, especially weekend trips will book early and fill fast.
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