I am thinking of heading down to the cowlitz this weekend to try my luck. I have fished barried dam and blue creek. Is their any access to the river to bank fish other than these two spots if so can you point me where to go. thanks

It's been years but I used to cross the bridge at Tenino and go east and explore all the side roads towards the river. There was a plumb creek timber road that went down to the river and ended up just across from that Private Camping/Fishing park on the north side of the river. It was pretty rough and steep 4x4 only road. I wish I could tell you the road it was on, but it's been too long. It is in the Gazetter. You'll have to do a little exploring, but I fished there quite a bit and never saw another person. Good Luck.

Kyle must be referring to the bridge at Toledo not "Tenino": wrong county, wrong river.
You might find a spot exploring there...

If you drive up river from the Trout Hatchery on Spencer Road you will find several places where you can access the river. You have the river in view most of the way, and while much of it is private there are a handful of access spots you can basically drive to or see from the road.

Some that come to mind are "Ethel Bar" just up from the Trout Hatchery (used to be a boat launch), near the end where "Brim Rd." tees with Spencer, and a few others headin' toward the Barrier Dam.

Easy to find! Not sure about the catchin' factor!

GS

Thanks for the correction GS, It would indeed be Toledo. Looked at my gazetter tonight and I think it was Eadon Rd I used to take.

troller

You can do a search and look for "WDFW's Cowlitz River "Wallace Gravel Pit" access Map now available" in the year 2001. This should tell you about a public fishing access point that has been keep a secret for many years.

Also, there is public access to Andersons Bar (the gravel bar across from Blue Creek). The only way you can make it to the bar is by using an undeveloped county road easement (the dead end of Hinkey Rd.) straight down to the waters edge, or by taking a 8 foot floating walking easement down the private dirt road that you cross just before you reach the river when you walking down the undeveloped county road easement. It is a long walk in!

Hope this helps you out.

Cowlitzfisherman

Thanks all for the info. Cowlitz fisherman great info I searched and found some really nice stuff thanks. All I need now is fish

Hey cowlitzfisherman, the gravel bar across from BC has been posted NO TRESSPASSING with big signs the last 3 months or so...and like only a few people fishing?

copy this link & put it in the address bar of your browser, then hit enter

http://boat.iac.wa.gov/launches.asp?county=Lewis

but, no sense going any time soon unless you like fishing in mud, give it a week or so until the mud in Riffe & Mayfield clears ups...

I heard that too!

Apparently the guy from Seattle who bought the 2 ½ acres that the gravel bar is location on is having a "war" among all the other property owners of their association.

Apparently the new owner has put up signs and a gate across the dirt road that the association members used to use to drive their rigs to the gravel bar. It sounds like the new owner has now stopped them from driving their car or trucks onto the gravel bar. He even called the cops on them! He can not stop them or the general pubic from using a special 8 foot floating waking and bike easement that the developer had to give to the county when he developed the parcels and convince the the county to abandon the old county road that used to end at the bar. That's why you can still legally walk or ride your bike down the undeveloped county road (Hinkey Rd.) and then walk or ride down the association's common gravel roadway down the floating easement all the way to the gravel bar.

It was illegal for county to abandon any county road that leads to a public water way or port without replacing it with another.

So now the association, until challenged by the land owners, have to access the gravel bar just like you or I do…by foot!

These people truly deserve each other! So that's the story that I have heard, has anyone heard any different?


Cowlitzfisherman