Well, I made my once or twice a year trip to the Cowlitz...trying to hook up with a springer or two.

The flow had been reduced quite a bit Friday evening, and plenty of fish were there at the Barrier Dam. All in all I'd say I saw about twenty fish landed.

I saw a very novel way to avoid the rules prohibiting bank fishing from the south bank or fishing from a boat...some fellas ran their sled up to the deadline and anchored on a gravel bar island, then fished off of that. They caught about half of the fish I saw landed, maybe more.

Here's an interesting development that I witnessed; around 6 am or so a guy started fishing with a Pt. Wilson Dart, casting and very lightly jigging it as it was retrieved. At first I thought he was some kind of yahoo snagger, but then I noticed that as the day went on there were several others using them, including the fellas across the river. I'd say that 1/4 of the fishermen were using darts, and they accounted for more than half the fish hooked. I only saw two fish foul hooked using the darts (they all had single hooks, as far as I could tell).

A few bummers of the day...

First, the bottom is indescribably getting worse and worse to get a drift through, with the boulders and literally miles of lines stuck on them. Plan on losing LOTS of leaders.

Second, the deadline float fishermen just can't help themselves from casting way over the deadline up into the closed area. No warden yesterday, but I've heard they've been cracking down. Doesn't seem to be helping.

Third, one of the two fish that were foul hooked that I saw was kept. I was up in the parking lot changing out of my gear at about 2pm and a guy was coming down with a fish on, which he eventually landed another two hundred yards downstream. The fish at times was skating on the surface with the jig directly in its dorsal fin, which is why a thirteen pound fish took him 300 yards downstream before he could land it. The three of us watching this spectacle were somewhat, but not too, surprised to see him walking back up through the parking lot with the fish, the jig now stuck in the side of its mouth.

"Look! Everyone told me it was snagged, but look where the hook is!"

Yeah, right. If he thought he was fooling anyone he's no brigher than he is ethical...

I didn't hook any salmon, but did manage a eight or nine pound steelhead on a pink worm, drifted.

All the springers I saw were beautiful fish, most ten to twelve pounds, a few three or five pound jacks, and a couple upwards of sixteen or seventeen pounds. All chromers.

Anyone else up there yesterday?

Fish on...

Todd.

i was there yesterday (saturday) i didnt hook any but i was fishing in the legal zone..

once again most of the fish that were hooked were hooked way over the line, a few people were even casting up to the pipe!!@!@!1 damn.,...i can see casting close to or a little over.. but the pipe come on..

I got there about 3:00pm and saw a few steelhead landed, and a few springers. The weather when i left puyallup looked a little chilly.. but one on the river damn it was hot and nice.

first trip i havnt hooked anything but still fun.

He was there today writing ticket after ticket...

i managed my limit of 1 8-9# chrome hen (2/2 for 2 trips FS :p ) . saw one soreback steelie caught... and kept.

Good to see ya again Rocklizard, you get any after you went back down?

Tyler

Went up today, Slower than Slow.

DM where were ya fishin?

Tyler

Todd, sounds typical for Barrier. Ethics usually isnt the norm up there, but there are some decent folks. Also saw the guys out there on the gravel island killing em, must be nice to get over there.
TTT, didnt get any on the second trip down, the folks I was fishing next to needed a few lessons in casting sequence in crowd situations, so I didnt feel like sacrificing any more gear while they learned.
Tight Lines
RL

I don't fish up there - used to back in the 70's but have since moved on. One thing I've seen in other deadline situations that's pretty effective is a nice heavy cable stretched tight across the river a couple feet above the deadline - sort of stops the monkey business

Yea but spawnout, that cuts into the G&F revenue generation. Fished the Wind yesterday and the snaggers had long gone home with their fish by the time the gammies got there at 11:00. With no sportfishers to hammer, they promtply gave tickets to a family that had walked across a bridge to go to a hotspring and a newbie that wasn't braking any fishing regs, but had been escorted across the same bridge with some tribal fisherman. Guess they have to get something for getting out of their trucks.

Todd, (and others)
I don't have to much time to write right now on this board because we (CPR-Fish & FOC) are getting ready for our trial concerning Ecology issuing the 401 permit to Tacoma. Tons of work as been done by our two groups in the past 3 weeks, including two days of deposition in front of 6 attorneys (2 from WDOE and 4 from Tacoma Power...talk about a stacked deck!).

I will be back posting more after this mess is over sometime after June 22. But I just couldn't help to ask you and the other board members this; why did WDFW move the boundary line up from its original location if they didn't want the sport fishers fishing so dam close to the line? What other area do you know of that WDFW has done such a "stupid thing" In my opinion it was just a way for those jokers (WDFW) to trap the dumb, or over eager fishermen and make some more extra money for their department. If not, why didn't they move the line back?

I may not have the time right now to read your reply because I am totally swamped with this up coming PCHB hearing.

I'll be back soon!

Cowlitzfisherman
Is the taste of the bait worth the sting of the hook????