fishingaddictsnorthwest.com

Spring time is so close we can all almost hear the first honey bee zip by our ear, we can picture the flowers and trees blooming across the land, and we can smell the spring Chinook coming back from their long 3-4 year journey in the ocean. That’s right, with spring time just around the corner, so is the arrival of one of the most sought after fish there is. There is something that a spring Chinook does to all avid fishermen that cannot be explained. Maybe it’s the fact that these fish are extremely aggressive and usually will bite exactly what is put in their face, maybe it’s the fact that these fish can rip line off your reel at about 35 feet per second, or maybe it’s the fact that these fish are the best eating fish you have ever sunk your teeth into. If these fish can make it past all the rath of sea lions and other obstacles a good run of these fish will be heading for the Cowlitz and North Fork Lewis Rivers.

The Cowlitz River is going to be your first and best bet out of the two rivers to pick up some springers. A year ago the estimated return was 4,100 and the run came back stronger than predicted at 4,900. The predicted run this year on the Cowlitz is 12,500 fish, with a spawning need of 1,250 fish. If this return happens it would be double what the 5 year average has been, which pretty much means GAME ON! A majority of these fish are going to be bonked at the mouth of the Cowlitz. The technique best for picking up fish here is to anchor up based on the tides. Every fisherman out there has their own technique and spots of where these fish travel, the rule of thumb is most fish will be in 6-25 feet of water. Find that depth and anchor. There are many lures of choice but Luhr Jensen Kwik fish is the most popular. Sizes K-13 to K-16, with the K-14 & K-15 the most common. The larger sizes are used when the current slows down, the smaller sizes are good when there is faster current. On the belly of your kwikfish place a sardine fillet and attach it using stretchy thread. This will make your plug give off a very oily scent to the springers heading its way. 50″ leaders & 18″ to 26″ lead lines are industry standard. For weight you can use 2 or 8 ounces depending on the depth and current of the water.
If you’re not looking to anchor fish another great way to pick up springers in the Cowlitz is to back troll for them. The method of choice is going to be either back trolling plugs or bait and diver. You’re going to use the same set up as anchored but you will be trolling against the current with your kicker motor slow enough to allow the boat to back down with the current. This can be a very effective method! Launch at either barrier dam or blue creek and work around that area.
If you’re reading this article and getting sad because you don’t have a boat, don’t worry because tons of fish are caught on the Cowlitz by bank fishermen. Plunking is highly effective on this river and there are lots of places to do it. From your fishing pole, use a 15 to 25-pound mainline and two 8mm beads up your line, then tie a size 3 swivel and a 32-inch piece of 30-40 pound mono. Run up a large slider followed by two more 8mm beads and then another size 3 swivel. Tie on another 36-inch 15-20 pound leader and size 2 Spin-N-Glo with two 5mm red beads and a double 2/0 hook. For bait you can use sand shrimp or cured prawns. Some good places to give a chance are the high bank hole, which is located across from Delameter Road just below Four Corners; this is one of the best holes on the river. Another good bet would be the mouth of the Toutle Located on the east side of the river, take I-5 exit 49, head east and take the first left, which is a frontage road. Travel about 2 miles to the parking area above the train bridge at the Burlington Northern-Sante Fe gate, park there and it’s about a mile walk.
The Lewis this year is also expected to get a better than normal Spring Chinook numbers. The forecast a year ago was 2,200 and the actual run was 1,900 which were worst of the decade. This year the expected number back is 6000, which if it turns out could make for a really good year. The hatcheries need 950 spring Chinook for spawning purposes. I talked to Paul Ambrose from Great Northwest Rivers Guide Service (www.greatnwrivers.com) He said that the technique of choice in the north fork is to hover fish, simply put hover fishing is a super slow back troll technique where you “hover” over the hole and wait until you get a bite. Standard technique is to let your bait hit the bottom then reel up 2 cranks and hold it, the bite is not very heavy and you should set the hook after a few “taps”. Most people use cured eggs with sand shrimp. You can do this in any significantly deep hole you find and it will hold fish. I like to also use mackerel and sardine with eggs. Have you heard the saying; “early bird gets the worm.” On the North Fork this can really pay off. If you can use bait/diver on Johnson creek flats first thing in the morning that always produces fish, and quite a few doubles. You can also use cut plug herring and sardine and back troll them on this river.
On another note the Kalama River hasn’t had the best of numbers in the past years and it looks like the forecast for this year isn’t going to be much better. The 2009 return of 350 was the second worst since at least 1980. The only worse year was 338 adults in 1985. This year a weak 900 fish are expected to return with the spawning goal for the hatchery of 500 spring Chinook. Even with these numbers, talking to Monty Thierry of Reel Adventure Guide Service (www.reeladv.com), he assures me that fish can still be taken, so don’t let that out of your radar for a possible on catching some spring Chinook this year. These fish are the best table fare the great pacific northwest has to offer, and it looks like all these rivers this year are going to put a lot of it on all of our tables! Happy Fishing!
Your Local Fishing Addict,
Marlin LeFever

Published in March 2010 Issue of Northwest Sportsman Magazine

Fishing is slowing down a bit and we are in between runs. Anglers are getting frustrated and worn out because fishing is getting tougher and tougher. Many people start to give up and stay off the water until summer. It happens every year, but there is still fish in the rivers to be caught!

Most steelhead anglers have a certain comfort zone they do not like to break, but don’t be afraid to try something new. Get away from places that get fished by a hundred people every day, walk that extra mile upstream to find that secluded hole. Like one of my good friends always says, “I don’t let the fish come to me; I go where the fish are”. If you fish a spot hard for a half hour picking each and every seam apart with no luck then it’s time to move on. Taking that extra effort to get away from everyone else will greatly increase your odds of catching more fish this time of year.

Switching up your gear a little bit is always a good idea. You have to remember that these fish have been in the river for a while now so they have had just about everything thrown at them, so don’t be afraid to try something that might look a little more natural. Also if you have not tried any scents yet this year it might give your bait that little extra to entice the fish to bite, but it can also be your worst enemy so be careful with it. One of my personal favorite tactics for enticing steelhead to bite when they just will not cooperate is tipping my jig with a little bait. It gives you a little reassurance when fishing.

When all has failed and the fishing just really sucks then it’s time to move on. I use times like these to go scout other rivers and look for future fishing spots. If one river is not producing fish, there is another river that is. With a little research online and a few phone calls to local shops you can find rivers and streams that still have lots of fish. This will also help you choose what tactics and gear to use when fishing a river you haven’t fished before.

Finding steelhead is only as frustrating as you let it be. Being a little adventurous and exploring new tactics will pay off if you put in the time and effort. Keep pursuing the elusive steelhead that swim in our rivers and let us do everything we can as fisherman to keep them here.

Your Fellow Fishing Addict,
Shaun Keller

Every steelhead fishermen’s head hits the pillow at night in the late winter months hoping that the next time he or she gets out on the water, that one big 20 pound plus steelhead will be persuaded to eat his offering. At least I hope I’m not the only one that lives and sleeps in hopes of catching a 20 pound plus steelhead. All steelhead fishermen know that the native species of steelhead are so much more capable of giving the fish fight we are all after, and to be able to hook on that is 20+ would absolutely be a feat that would be remembered for the rest of his or her life!

The first thing you need to do to even have a chance at one of these fish is to go fish the water that is most likely to hold them. There are a lot of rivers in Washington and Oregon that are capable of producing these big natives. For Oregon waters include the Wilson, Nehalem, Trask, and Salmonberry just to name a few. In Washington your best bet is to focus your time in the Olympic Peninsula. Rivers like the Hoh, Sol Duc, Bogachiel, and Queets. The best time to venture out and give any of these rivers a try is going to be mid February to the end of March. This is when you will have a lot of these big fish in the systems and they will be fairly spread out. Don’t let some of the other rivers in these states out of your head though. There is 20 pound fish to be had in a lot of the rivers. A couple local rivers that I fish have been known to produce a few here and there. The thing to remember is always target these fish when you know they are there. You do not want to waste your time trying and trying early in hopes of getting the first fish, I have done this time and time again, yea you might get lucky, but the fact of the matter is you will probably just get burnt out. March is going to be your best bet so that is what I would focus on if you really want a good chance at these fish. Make sure to check your rules and regs because a lot of these rivers have specific rules and boundaries.

River conditions are going to play another big role in trying to land of these monster steel! In most of these systems the rain and other weather conditions can really change the outcome of what the river is going to look like on any certain day. A lot of these rivers are glacier fed as well, so unexpected snow level drops or temperature changes can also hurt your chances. In most cases the best color to look for when fishing any river system is that brilliant glacier green! This is when fish seem to just be on the tear! The water has good visibility to the fish but perfect for keeping you hidden a little. Most people think that the river level deters them from catching fish, and in some cases it can. What I have found though is that as long as the river holds a good color you can catch fish no matter how high it is. The main thing to focus on is finding places moving slowly or inside seems the fish can sit and rest to get out of the rest of the raging river. Snow is a great thing! If it’s snowing outside it seems to trigger something in these fish, they become really aggressive and move a lot, moving and feeding on the way. Every time I have got out on a day it was snowing was always an amazing day of fishing. Water temperature is going to be another thing you’re going to want to know. If your facing really cold water these fish will most of the time stage up in deeper water and be a lot less likely to move far to feed. You will really need to get your bait right into their nose to entice a bite.

When going after big natives you can use all kinds of bait. These fish most of the time are very aggressive. One of the most effective baits for catching these monsters is the pink worm. This bait is very versatile and can be fished under a bobber, drifting, or plunking. My favorite technique is under a float. I like to take a 1/8 or ¼ ounce jig head in pearl pink color. I will use the Berkley 6” pink worm and cut them down right after the collar. This makes for a perfectly looking presentation under the water and these big fish can’t resist it. This technique is extremely effective when the water is that Glacier green color like I was talking about. The other main technique I like to use on these big fish would be spoons. The big flash and flutter of these baits is irresistible to these fish. My preference is the 2/5 ounce Little Cleo in blue/silver pattern. I will take the treble hook off and replace it with a single siwash. You also want to make sure to use a barrel swivel on the eye. Swinging these spoons through tail outs of any water can be very deadly. I also like to flutter them down into deep pools. One good trick that most people fail to do is put scent on the spoon. A little smelly jelly in shrimp/anise works wonders!

These beautiful native fish are a thing to cherish! There is nothing like hooking into to one of these beauties. It’s sad to say but the numbers of these fish have really declined in the past years. We all need to do everything we can to conserve these fish so more continue to reproduce. Please always practice catch and release and make sure you take extra care of the fish. If at all possible keep them in the water except for one quick picture and then make sure they swim away strong and on their own to go off to their distant gravel bed and reproduce offspring for you or someone else to catch another day!
Your local fishing Addict,
Marlin LeFever

As if catching a steelhead isn’t hard enough for most fishermen, try catching them in extremely low and clear conditions. In the Pacific Northwest we haven’t had rain for months and most the snow is already melted off. This leaves the rivers around here running so low and clear they are almost unfishable. I’m hoping a few of these techniques will help you in catching some of these bright summer fish hanging in the rivers.

First thing you’re going to want to look at is your gear, whatever liter your running now, prepare to downsize. Float fishing is going to be the technique of choice. You’re going to be running a 6 pound maxima ultra green liter with my preference of a smoke color fire line 14 pound braid. Make sure you have a long rod, at least 9’ 6”. My rod and reel of choice is a pflueger supreme reel and Lamiglas xmg50 9’ 6” rod.

For bait it’s going to be a combination of things. These fish are so smart and hard to catch in these conditions, we have to trick them in every which way possible. The first step is buying some jigs in 1/16 ounce size or smaller. You’re going to want them to be darker color patterns. I prefer nightmare, and or purple patterns. You need to get some good running floats. Steelhead Stalkers are going to be my pick.

Next thing you need is some sand shrimp. Once your all tied up with bobber, jig, and all, I like to tip the end of my jig with a little bit of sand shrimp as an extra incentive for these weary fish. Just break off little chunks at a time and tip the end of your jig. Make sure you have some nice waiters and a good pair polarized glasses, for comfort out on the water.

Now that you’re all geared up, finding the fish is a different story. The key to finding these fish is deeper stretches of water where these fish feel safe and can be cool. Since you’re going to be float fishing, you need to target areas of the river that are deeper than the rest but stretch long enough for you to get a decent float with your bobber and jig. Sometimes if you can find slots in the river, that’s going to be the ticket to catching your nice bright chrome summer steelhead. These fish don’t have a lot of water to work with so they will use the deeper slots to sit in and move up river. Most the rivers around here have these slots. With your polarized glasses, walk up and down river looking for these slots, but be stealthy. In the hunt for these slots it’s not uncommon to spot summer steelhead just waiting for you to float your jig by their face. Once these slots are found cast up river, and let your jig pass through the slots perfectly, if the steelhead is there….. “BOBBER DOWN!!!” you should have a fish on. Once the summer goes on you will find fish way way up river in the most oxygenated water they can find. Falls or rapids with deep pools are good areas to look!

Summer steelhead is extremely aggressive and feisty, when hooked its very likely that they will put on a nice acrobatic show for you. Make sure to be careful and play them out, with the 6 pound liter your chance of losing these crazy chromers is very good.

Now hurry up and get off the computer, head to Wholesale Sports, pick up your jigs, your shrimp, your line, your bobbers, and hey why not spoil yourself with a new lamiglas rod and pflueger reel. Feel free to ask any questions you may have in the forum! They will be answered immediately! Thanks for reading, cause once the addiction starts it never stops!

YOUR CRAZY ADDICTED FISHERMAN…THE BASSINPIMP