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Cowlitz River Fishing Reports
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By: igotfishon
Posted: 2/23/2024
Species: Other
Rating: 5
Fished: 2/15/2024
Hot Spots: 0
WDFW gave the go ahead couple days before February 15th for a smelt dip from 8AM to 1PM. We did the last minute call on the morning of the opener do drive to down to the Cowlitz River for the smelt di...
By: igotfishon
Posted: 3/6/2022
Species: Other
Rating: 5
Fished: 3/5/2022
Hot Spots: 0
I remember when I was young my mom and two older brothers took me smelt dip, and it was so fun. Now that I have two boys of my own what a great way to share the experience and passing on the tradition...
By: nerka nailer
Posted: 3/5/2022
Species: Other
Rating: 5
Fished: 3/5/2022
Hot Spots: 0
All I can say is wow!!!!! I went to the Cowlitz river to try smelt dipping for the first time. I could not believe how many Washingtonian's participate in this fishery. We arrived at the river and it ...
By: Blackstarfishing
Posted: 9/5/2019
Species: Coho Salmon
Rating: 3
Fished: 9/2/2019
Hot Spots: 0
The lower Cowlitz river, below the Toutle river, is currently fishing well for fall chinook salmon and summer steelhead, although chinook retention is, at the time of this report, not allowed. The maj...
By: Blackstarfishing
Posted: 7/22/2019
Species: Steelhead
Rating: 4
Fished: 7/21/2019
Hot Spots: 0
Cowlitz River summer steelhead fishing has been steadily improving over the past week or so, disproving any previous theories about it going to be an average to less than average run size by yours tru...
By: Blackstarfishing
Posted: 7/8/2019
Species: Steelhead
Rating: 3
Fished: 7/1/2019
Hot Spots: 0
We have been fishing the Cowlitz River targeting summer steelhead the first week of July and experiencing some moderate success. We have been mainly covering the area between the town of Toledo all th...
By: snyderman399
Posted: 2/24/2019
Species: Steelhead
Rating: 2
Fished: 2/24/2019
Hot Spots: 0
Still really slow. Got one and saw just a couple more caught
By: Blackstarfishing
Posted: 2/21/2019
Species: Steelhead
Rating: 3
Fished: 2/18/2019
Hot Spots: 0
I had a chance to fish the Cowlitz river for late winter hatchery steelhead for the first time this season on Monday February 18th with two other anglers. When I got up to leave the house that morning...
By: PatrickC
Posted: 12/15/2017
Species: Coho Salmon
Rating: 3
Fished: 12/15/2017
Hot Spots: 0
So I left “early” around 6:15 and make the 1.5 hour south to fish barrier dam. Got there about 7:45-8:00 after a couple pit stops. Started twitching jigs for the first hour or so, saw one smaller coho...
By: snatchinglips
Posted: 11/12/2017
Species: Coho Salmon
Rating: 5
Fished: 11/10/2017
Hot Spots: 0
Had to put my boat in the shop to have so work done at cascade marine, Big Dave squeezed me in, so I consider myself very luck. Ever fisherman knows that boat problem comes right when the fishing is b...
By: Toni
Posted: 4/21/2017
Species: Chinook Salmon
Rating: 2
Fished: 4/20/2017
Hot Spots: 0
Randy Ahearn and I met with Phil Stephens at Massey Bar, for a day of trying to get springers. We went up river and down river and each of us got one. The fish were great and Randy’s was the biggest a...
By: dj2loud
Posted: 2/25/2017
Species: Other
Rating: 1
Fished: 2/25/2017
Hot Spots: 0
Boy from what I'm seeing and hearing the smelt fishery was a bust! Obviously the WDFW had their head where the sun dont' shine unless your walking around naked for sure..... Such a miss managed mess w...
By: Scheindogg
Posted: 2/23/2017
Species: Steelhead
Rating: 1
Fished: 2/23/2017
Hot Spots: 0
Got to blue creek area trout hatchery around 7. Fished a couple spots between the trout hatchery and blue creek with not a bite.
Tried spinners, drifting corkies. One guy on a boat caught a steelhead...
By: Johnny Darter
Posted: 11/25/2016
Species: Coho Salmon
Rating: 4
Fished: 11/25/2016
Hot Spots: 0
Went out fishing the last few days on the upper cowlitz by Packwood. Water was really clear but found some holes to catch a few coho from. Caught a quite a few jacks but finally reeled in this nice ...
By: fish_4_coho
Posted: 11/11/2016
Species: Coho Salmon
Rating: 4
Fished: 11/11/2016
Hot Spots: 0
With part of the morning and afternoon free, I headed for the barrier dam. Its close and convenient and a spot you can catch a fish from time to time. I wasn't expecting the number of people I saw wh...
By: fish_4_coho
Posted: 11/6/2016
Species: Coho Salmon
Rating: 3
Fished: 11/6/2016
Hot Spots: 0
Finally got a chance to get back out fishing finally. Coho numbers have been steady on Cowlitz, but not very impressive. I did see a number of happy guys carrying out at least one fish. Good number o...
By: seattlesteban
Posted: 10/18/2016
Species: Coho Salmon
Rating: 2
Fished: 10/17/2016
Hot Spots: 0
2 years ago I fished the Cowlitz at Barrier Dam. Today I attempted to recreate that magic.
I hooked into two dark kings. Shortly after that a crew of dudes posted upstream from me and proceeded to ...
Posted: 10/12/2016
Species: Coho Salmon
Rating: 3
Fished: 10/12/2016
Hot Spots: 0
The Cowlitz has not been bad for Coho and some Chinook. The biggest problem the river is low and clean. The good and bad news is we have a major storm coming in tonight and will last through the week...
By: Tylerpearson19
Posted: 10/9/2016
Species: Chinook Salmon
Rating: 3
Fished: 10/9/2016
Hot Spots: 0
Started about 645am today down in Castle Rock area to see if I could catch me a silver. Saw alot jumping first thing sun uprotection was only able to get one to bite for 3 hrs. Watched a kid across r...
By: HookEmBoy
Posted: 10/9/2016
Species: Coho Salmon
Rating: 5
Fished: 10/9/2016
Hot Spots: 1
Below Barrier Dam what a good day alot of fish and hookups
Hook up 1 coho a very nice size and land it as well as a king but it was a native. Lost 3 kings
By: fish_4_coho
Posted: 10/1/2016
Species: Chinook Salmon
Rating: 3
Fished: 10/1/2016
Hot Spots: 0
I must say first that if you don't like lots of people around you when fishing, the barrier dam is not a good choice. But if you are willing to accept the challenges and give fellow fisherman a littl...
By: CDL
Posted: 10/1/2016
Species: Steelhead
Rating: 4
Fished: 9/27/2016
Hot Spots: 0
Another afternoon of Spey rod fishing using the ultra sophisticated spey loops C, D and L - (chuck/duck/ & luck) to cast and hook some fish. 2 cooperated by swimming up onto the shore for me. One ge...
By: Rickey
Posted: 9/29/2016
Species: Chinook Salmon
Rating: 3
Fished: 9/20/2016
Hot Spots: 0
Barrier Dam: Mainly Wild Chinook, a few hatchery. Fish not feeding well, repetitive hookups to same fish by several on river. No hookups of Steelhead, some Cutthroat taken.
Blue Creek Hatchery: Mainl...
By: CDL
Posted: 9/28/2016
Species: Steelhead
Rating: 4
Fished: 9/23/2016
Hot Spots: 0
I fished last week for approximately 2-3 hours in the middle of the day. Spey rod fishing using ultra sophisticated spey loops C, D and L - (chuck/duck/ & luck) to cast and hook 6 fish. 4 cooperated...
By: fish_4_coho
Posted: 9/25/2016
Species: Chinook Salmon
Rating: 3
Fished: 9/24/2016
Hot Spots: 0
Fished the barrier dam after reading reports of a few salmon being kept, including some coho on the wdfw sw Washington fish report. I was hoping the rain might entice some fresh fish upstream, but I w...
