Cowlitz Smelt - It's Happening!!! 3/12/04

Born to be Wild · 03-12-2004, 09:21 AM

Easy limits about a quarter mile down from Carnival Market!
Carnival Market is dead!
Met a ifisher newbie Bottom Bound and also Plug Cutter and his comrad and they all got limits.
Darren whom I know very well from the Elocoman Hatchery (hatchery manager) was there and in a better spot below me and was getting about 8 scoops to a bucket.

Ran into Sturgeon Dave at Carnival Market and drug him and his groupies :grin: down to where I was getting them and no one was in the hole.
Loaned him my net he 'bout filled his smaller bucket with the first 4 or 5 scoops.
Dave said he was down at Gearhart Gardens just a little while ago and they were getting them there also and the sea lions were having fun.

This is by far the best I have seen this second run!
I'll go out to my van and get the odometer readings in a few minutes and post them.

Dano

Freakwater · 03-12-2004, 09:36 AM

Dano,

Is that the same spot we were dipping last night?

Thanks,
Freak

Lwagg2 · 03-12-2004, 09:45 AM

thanks for the update me and the wife where just about to go out the door for a drive thought we would drive up and see if anyone was getting much if they where we gonna rent at carnival market and give it try.

Born to be Wild · 03-12-2004, 10:01 AM

Same spot Freakwater.
The guys down below me were doing even better than I was.
But when I returned with Sturgeon Dave there was nobody in the spot where I was or you and GBS were last night.
So I got my net out and took Dave down there and commenced showing him how to work that hole and they were there.

My odometer reading from the "spot" was 43.9 and to the signal that is approx. .3 miles above the Allen street bridge was 44.6
I spaced the Allen st bridge odometer reading because i was on my cell and giving Bob's a report.
So it appears the "spot" is approx. 1 mile above the Allen Street bridge which is the one you cross if you are coming from exit 39 on I-5.
So 1 mile from the bridge or .7 mile from the one and only signal light just above the two bridges.

I almost came back and posted a thread at 7:30AM that was going to say; "don't bother" because that was the report I got at the bridges.
Nobody was getting them upriver including Carnival Market except in the area I pointed out both up and down below me.
Glad I went up and checked it out or I would have made a big mistake and posted an eroneous report.

Also if you are southbound coming from Carnival Market I noticed a green "entering Longview" sign about .1 mile downstream of the area.

Please don't expect odometer readings when the coho hit the Cowlitz! :grin:

Dano

Bottom Bound · 03-12-2004, 10:47 AM

Meet the man, Meet the ledgend, Meet dano. I had a good time this morning and meeting dan (the auther of most of these post's) was a pleasure also. I made it back to Beverton in 1 hour and 4 minutes (I was only 55 minutes late for work, but the boss did not care when he saw my bucket of smelt) Again it was a pleasure to meet all the people that I have been reading about on ifish.
Henry

Sore Back · 03-12-2004, 12:01 PM

Dan, It was a real pleasure meeting you yesterday. Thanks to you, we had quite a Smelt feed last night. Still have 6 bunches in the freezer.

Crab work out ok?

Sore Back

SKP · 03-12-2004, 03:01 PM

Updated Smelt Report 4:00 PM.

I just got off the phone with my friend Ralph (Ifish lurker

), who brought his family.

In 40 minutes, they have filled a 5 gallon bucket, and are working on the second bucket. He said they are about 1/10th of a mile downstream of Carnival Market. He said most dips have at least 2 or 3 fish, with some dips with 30 fish and an occaisional skunk dip.

Dan, again thanks for the reports!

SKP :grin:

Born to be Wild · 03-12-2004, 03:10 PM

Took Brad and an employee down there at about 2:00PM on his lunch break and two limits on there lunch break.
Same place and now the commercial boats have joined the frenzy.

Went for a drive upriver and nothing at Lexington, Riverside Park or Rocky Point.
Where are they going?
Been a steady stream of them all day long below Carnival Market!

I suspect Lexington will be hot tonight along with the possibility of Rocky Point and Riverside Park but no guarantees.
This is by far the best action I have seen this second run.

I hope it is good tonight for the last two nights have been deadsville.
But there weren't the numbers of smelt coming in the last couple days like they are now.

Crab were excellent George but a tad on the salty side.
Don't think you needed the salt brine on the way up.
We enjoyed them very much and thankyou kindly for the fresh dungies!

Dano

[ 03-16-2004, 12:26 PM: Message edited by: Jennie@ifish ]

bucketmouth · 03-12-2004, 03:11 PM

I appreciate the report as well. I'm bringing my 6 year old daughter up there tomorrow morning.

dampainter · 03-12-2004, 03:38 PM

bucketmouth have you been there before? bbaaaaad dropoffs very close to shore make sure to watch her like a hawk, if I were to bring mine I would have her in a life jacket at all times.

Elwix · 03-12-2004, 03:53 PM

I was up there Tuesday night, and didn't do too well, but I'm going to drive up and give it another try in the morning. Since it's a bit of a drive, I was thinking of bringing along my fishing gear. (in case I get an early limit on smelt. :smile: ) Are there any steelhead or springers in the Cowlitz right now? Or would it be a waste of time to try?

Born to be Wild · 03-12-2004, 05:26 PM

Well I'm out of here and going to try and rescue both boater and love2fish that aren't having any luck catching the illusive critters.

I'll be helping out BS Fishtales at the Bob's Sportsmen's show this weekend if any of you want to stop by and say hello.

Will update later.

Dano

Killertraylor · 03-12-2004, 06:07 PM

Dano, thank you very much for the continuing reports. They are very helpful and detailed - excellent! I always liked your Depot Bay reports too - glad you can be as big of a help over here with us land lubbers!

Take care, and hope you meet you someday.

Joe

Born to be Wild · 03-12-2004, 07:06 PM

Completely dead again tonight.
Couldn't find anything for the ifisher's but am going to look again after I set up BS Fishtales display at Bob's.

Boater will go back to Seattle with smelt regardless because I have a limit sitting here.

Dano

Freakwater · 03-12-2004, 07:12 PM

Wow. Like day and night. Absolutely dead. Dipped from Gearhart Gardens to Rocky Point. Hundreds of people and I didn't see a single smelt caught! I'll give her a try in the morning.

Freak

Fish Hawg · 03-12-2004, 07:31 PM

I had to work my but off last night just to get thirty pounds [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img]

greenbuttskunk · 03-12-2004, 11:08 PM

dano's a good man. Sure appreciated his help last night. Sounds like tonight would have been the ticket. Go get em guys!

SKP · 03-12-2004, 11:10 PM

Here's a round of applause and a standing ovation for Dan! [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

He helped me scratch a limit of smelt on Tuesday, and even gave us some of his fish from the day before!

Thanks for the reports Dan! You've put alot of people and newbies into smelt! My stomach has already partaken of the yummie fishies!

My friend Ralph is going to go there after his son Luke's appointment at Dornbecker Hospital (did I spell it right).

Your service and friendliness go above and beyond the call of duty!

What was that odometer reading of those silvers you caught with those wigglers?

SKP :grin:

love2fish · 03-12-2004, 11:33 PM

Thanks for the report Dan, I'll be up there around 5 this evening.

love2fish

Lwagg2 · 03-13-2004, 12:36 AM

was up there from 3:30 till 5:30 and worked hard to get a couple packages of bait might try again tomorrow if the reports are good in the morning