How is cowlitz looking

[EAmon ___hoffman123]

Actually, I got some bank budds that are slayin too... Want me to name them for you? the cowlitz is startin to heat up in the next week are so..

[DannyL]

Good thing me and a buddy are coming down on the 2nd. Ea was it perhaps blue creek?

[EAmon ___hoffman123]

Yup!

[DannyL]

Nice! I'm pumped!

[gonnahookit]

Will find out tomorrow. Heading down in the morning to spend the day tossing jigs, hopefully will bring home my first steelhead!

[DannyL]

Let us know how you do and how many fish you see jumping and all that

[gonnahookit]

Will do. Only the second time I've really gone out targeting steelhead, so my knowledge is limited to what I've gleaned here, but I'm hopeful, and will post up what I learn.

[DannyL]

Thanks hook, any info you can pass along would be great!

[Bro-Rando]

When is the peak of the Cowlitz winter run?

[Brat Bonker]

peak is december for the a run and the b run is march.

[gonnahookit]

slow today at Blue Creek area. Saw one shiny winter run at the handicap hole (where everyone seemed to be fishing, at least 8 people tossing lines in there ).

fished a couple spots about a hundred yards down from the hatchery outlet. Had two takedowns on bobber/jig with a coon shrimp tail, and another takedown without the shrimp, but minimal experience/skills on my part meant no fish to the bank. fast water and trying to learn how to mend the line without yanking the bobber around was a bit frustrating, and trying to cast into slower moving water meant more hangups in the grass and such due to the higher water level. The trail I hiked down last month is now a rather fast moving stream.

Anyways, saw the one steelhead on the bank, about 24", and heard of two others caught on a boat. One other boat drifting by reported "just a native" when I asked if they were having any luck.

Also talked to a guy at the handicap hole first thing when I got there, said he had two jigs break on hooksets this morning, right at the end of the shank by the beginning of the curve. He showed one to me, and they were the same exact jigs shown here by fishenfreak.

Same jig I already had tied onto my line to start the day with.

Had to call it a day around 3:30 to pack out, but noticed people arriving as I was leaving. Might be a better bite at the very end of the day? First light and last light usually are in my trout fishing experience, but I had to leave, unfortunately, before I could find out.

[Brat Bonker]

no those people walking in when you left were probally the glow ballers, they fish during the night with glow corkies.

[gonnahookit]

That makes sense, hadn't thought of that.

[gonnahookit]

Took another trip to blue creek area today. Rained off and on, river was higher than last week by a foot or so. Tried 6 different jigs (pink and white, pink, pink and cerisse beaded, and a couple nightmare patterns), with and without coonstripes, with and without prawn chunks, bobber/eggs (store bought because I've only caught a couple salmon this summer and those were both bucks), some spoons and #5 Blue Fox spinners (different colors/patterns) and even tried drifting eggs.

Had one take down the whole day, was fishing 5-20 feet from the bank, mostly.

Saw 3 boats land fish, one a pretty big summer run, the other 2 pretty small. Oh, and a shiny hen at the handicap hole. Still not a lot of action there, it seems, and I'm not experienced enough to say it was the weather or water quality.

Trying out my new Simms waders and boots was good experience, though. Got a little cool on the toes after a couple hours but not unbearable. It's all part of the learning curve, for me.

[Brat Bonker]

Are you walking down from the boat ramp or taking that trail to the actual mouth of blue creek cause where the creek drops in is good drift fishing water with 2 #12 orange or pink corkies and a fair amount of lead. barrier dam is good for float and jigs just not as many fish during the winter. stick to the nightmare but instead of coon use prawn tails and dice them into dime or 1/2 dime size pieces and put them on a 1/8-1/4 oz aero jig nightmare, killer rig for all rivers.

[gonnahookit]

if it is the trail I used last month to hike downriver, it's not a trail anymore. it's flowing pretty darn fast in a couple spots, and about 10 feet wide at one point (and waist deep).

I was probably a couple hundred yards down from the boat ramp, and the one takedown I had was on a black-red-black 1/4 oz aero. Had a "nightmare series" on the label but is #43 Hackle from what I see on the web.

43-hackle.jpg (20.15 KiB) Viewed 3143 times

.

Also it had a bright pink cured coonstripe on it when it got bit. prawn chunks didnt seem to help (today).

[Brat Bonker]

nightmares have a white head, red body and black tail but red and black is good too.
No threr is another trail that is no where near the river then it brings you to some back beaver pond then the mouth of actual blue creek. It in between the boat ramp and the fence of the hatchery in that corner over there. you are on the boat ramp trail which is productive too during high water when the fish are really moving through.
pink matched with a couple different colors works as well like with black, green, purple or white. orange and white also is good. Next time give barrier a try up by the dam by the rocks if you can find a spot and float a jig and prawn in there.

[Bodofish]

nightmares have a white head, red body and black tail but red and black is good too.
No threr is another trail that is no where near the river then it brings you to some back beaver pond then the mouth of actual blue creek. It in between the boat ramp and the fence of the hatchery in that corner over there. you are on the boat ramp trail which is productive too during high water when the fish are really moving through.
pink matched with a couple different colors works as well like with black, green, purple or white. orange and white also is good. Next time give barrier a try up by the dam by the rocks if you can find a spot and float a jig and prawn in there.

Sorry, you're still missing the point. The white head is but one variant of the nightmare. It's been around for many, many years. When learning, fly tying (still at it, don't think you ever graguate.). The first kit I bought from "First Bite" didn't even contain a white bead, they came with brass, silver and black. The pearl is just the lastest iteration or flavor du jour, I'll have to agree it's become the go to and a very popular one, none the less. The kits were for making more of a fly style with the bead, personally I've gone to using painted jig heads if for no other reason than the carbide beads are darn expensive for a throw away. Lets let it go a few more years and we can see what colors become popular again. Just like fashon, everything old is new again. Stick around and you'll see it go full circle.

[Brat Bonker]

thanks for the little history lesson just I thought the orignal nightmare is white, red, black, what is a daymare jig again?
I still pink and white will be the main color for a long time but someone will find a new pattern for sure.

[Bodofish]

thanks for the little history lesson just I thought the orignal nightmare is white, red, black, what is a daymare jig again?
I still pink and white will be the main color for a long time but someone will find a new pattern for sure.

Having never heard of a "Daymare", the only thing that comes to mind is a bad job or perhaps my Ex wife. For the Nightmare, definitely red and black but I've seen other colors snuck in. That's the wonderful thing about fish lures and making them, they can become anything you like and often do.