Put in around noon for the outgoing tide. Fished SNG's and c00nshrimp in 14 ft. of water. I had 2 takedowns I'd say were sockeye that didn't stick then caught a summer steelhead. The guy next to me ( thank you for the pic ) also caught a steelhead and 1 sockeye. He was 25 ft. closer to shore and in 8 1/2 ft. of water. While I was doing my punch card
I looked up and coming from down river looked like a black wall of rain coming our way. Put the rain gear back on for the 3rd time pulled anchor and hauled butt to the ramp. About 1/2 hour later pulling into the driveway it hit here in Kelso. It was sideways coming down in buckets. I'm going to skip Saturday. The weather predictions for later today and for Saturday has a pucker factor to it and I ain't doing it.
How's this for 2-tone black & Chrome?

View attachment 1066615

Go Raiders! 👍

 

That's a beaut Plugs!

 

The Cowlitz is going to start dropping the first. Supposed to be at 2000 cfs within 2days. I'll be hitting it as soon as it does.

 

Landed a 6lb steelhead plunking lower river yesterday and took my nephew out today. He landed a 9lb hatchery and released a small wild. Released multiple sockeye both days.

 

Very nice. Way to go, keep him fishing. Beautiful fish.

 

Our only fish today. My buddy Tim had all the bites today. 7 takedowns and 1 steelhead in the box. I never got 1 bite all day. We had sockeye jumping and rolling all around the boat all day. We're thinking that 5 out of the 7 bites were sockeye that didn't stick.

 

Taking out a old school buddy in the morning and try to get him into a fish.

 

Got a nice 7 AM steelhead. Now on the hunt for a sockeye

 

Got a nice 7 AM steelhead. Now on the hunt for a sockeye

Got the Sockeye too, finally. Video on the lower river sockeye thread

 

Thats a pork chop!

 

Mixed bag so I Went ahead and put here too

 

Saturday and a steelhead in the bag. I think today's Summer Run may be my personal best on my own rod PB. @ 12.4 lbs. on the scale.
I had clients back in the day get bigger but I don't think I've personally got a bigger summer run. Winter run ya 100's of them but not a summer fish. No sockeye bite what so ever today. I caught 3 steelhead and all hatchery today. the other 2 released were cookie cutter 6 lb.'ers maybe.

 

My 3yr old is starting to want to fight every fish. I wish there were a few more bites for her but we've had a great time

 

Worst year I have seen in decades, caught more summer nooks this weekend the steelhead, in steelhead spots , I think the nooks will come in at or exceed forecast, but I do not think the steel or sockeye will meet forcast

 

Bonneville summer steelhead forecast for 2025 was abysmal - just above the all time low of ~ 72,000. I hope it beats or we may set another new low for CR summer steelhead. They go farther out to sea than the other salmonids - I keep reading the food web's been bad mid-ocean for the last 10 years. From 2001 - 2010, we averaged 400,000 summer steelhead over Bonneville.

 

Lost one at the boat and put one in the cooler.

 

Pulled on to my favorite beach mid morning Saturday. Saw someone holding one up for a photo. A while later someone lost a fish that splashed like steel rather than sockeye. Someone else ran to the rod after hearing a tinkle, but no go. I heard a tinkle on my bell, but just a tinkle. I told the fish checker about the report on this site of one guy who hooked multiple steel one day. She expressed skepticism.

A fourteenish yr old kid walked past me holding a trout rod rigged with a blue fox spinner. Thirty minutes later he walked back past me holding a trout rod with no spinner. He had hooked into something that was in the process of spooling him, so he clamped down on the spool and broke it off. I told him he had probably snagged a sturgeon...

As I was prepping to leave the male part of a couple hooked up with a fish that fought like neither steel nor sock. I predicted either nook or sturgeon, and suggested that if I had a woman with me, I'd have handed it off. She quietly said "I've caught three this year. He hasn't got any". It was a six or seven lb nook. Clipped, and looked like a W fish. Shame he had to let it go...

 

I finally got out Sunday after taking a break after chinook retention closed (I hit it hard!).
Got to my spot at 6am and had no action til 11am when I picked up a 27.5" clipped steelhead in 8.5' depth.
Tried all pink, grey/black, chartreuse/black, til I tied on the successful blue/silver spin n glo, with (censored) shrimp.
Not many people out down low, not like the glory years when the islands were full. Checker said not many fish to check lately, but it's early.
Water temp 64*

 

some one on her has to know. when I was a kid I was told a saying that with steelhead its 5# for the first 20 in and a pound for every inch? or is it 5# for 25in and a point for every inch after that?

 

5# is not realistic for an average 20" steelhead. I'd believe the latter is closer.

 

10 lb at 30", then a pound per inch. Those other numbers may work, too. I've never weighed one under about ten lbs.

 

10 lb at 30", then a pound per inch.

This is correct to about 40". After that, girth takes over and it's MORE than a pound per inch. But 20 pound steel are SO rare that the overwhelming majority of us will never have to consider it.

 

Thinking about plunking. How has the weeds/moss been around rainier? Is there a better part of the tide to avoid? I was out last week and the beginning of the tide was rough….

 

Pretty bad for the most part. Figure fishing clear for 5 to 10 mins then cleaning the gunk off. Pretty damn frustrating.

 

Agreed. I fished Saturday closer to St Helens and the weeds sucked. It really turned out to be a day of working on my tan rather than any chance of catching a fish. Unless I found one that enjoyed meat ($$$$ shrimp) and veggies (weeds).

 

That is what I was afraid of.

 

Got another steelhead today but no sockeye

 

I think you need to change your name to fishkiller or Grim Reaper or something else besides plugs! 🤔

 

But why when I use plugs to catch 90 percent of the fish that get bonked

Todays fish was caught on a 3.0 Mag lip ( Last Pass color ) with a c00n shrimp wrapped on the belly. 30 inch dropper, 45 inch 20 lb. leader to the duo lock. single siwash 1/0 of the back, 8 oz. pyramid weight, 55 ft. on the LC in 14 ft. of water

 

But why when I use plugs to catch 90 percent of the fish that get bonked

Well you got a good point there, thanks for sharing your success and letting us know all the technical info as well. I really like the mag lips for steelies as they seem to run true right out of the package. Most of the time I just run the flo red ones with the black stripes and **** shrimp on the belly. I really like the u20 as well when you can find one that works good but it seems like you have to go through three or four before you find the ONE that has the Magic dance!

 

Early steelhead and off the river before it gets hot again today. Wasn't into sitting there melting in the boat shooting for the sockeye again today. Tide wasn't pulling very hard yet so I was fishing SNG's and shrimp still when this one wanted to play.

 

Cowlitz will be at 2300 tomorrow evening

 

Steelhead get to be 20 lbs, not by being released as smaller adults, but by spending more time in a productive ocean. That's the problem (sick ocean), along with fewer steelhead returning as adults overall. FWIW, repeat returning steelhead are usually hens and don't gain much weight year-to-year because the journeys take so much energy.

I'll add that, as far as CR summer steelhead that would reach 20 lbs, they'd be mostly Idaho B-run fish which would stand to increase about 3-4 X if the Snake River 4 lower dams came out. It's curious to me that fishermen oppose that, as seen on that other thread....

 

I have caught a few toads, and on more then one occasion had scale samples done, and all my toads, had one thing in common, they came back as one salt fish, and went back out only to come back 4 years later, our biggest did this and had 4 return years, total. Fish that make it back out, are hardly any bigger the next return year. Then their peak weight. So let the little jack steelhead swim free, may be your next memory