Trip Report: Cowlitz River / Washington

A few weeks ago, I was able to fish somewhere other than California. While attending a wedding in Seattle, I had a chance to spend a day with Steve Buckner, a guide on the Cowlitz river.

I didn't know much about this river before going. The only thing I had heard is that the fish aren't huge, but there is a better chance of hooking one. Good enough for me. I've only been targeting steelhead for a couple of years, so I'm at that stage where I want to learn as much as possible about where they can be found and how to get their attention. Having someone reinforce what you've read or learned on your own is nice.

Steve met me at the boat launch before the sun came up. While putting on my waders, he put our days transportation in the water. We were off just as there was enough light to see through the fog. This boat had the ability to go to any spot up or down the river, but I'm pretty sure we simply crossed the river and anchored up right there! Steve reassured me that this was a great spot, and I had no reason to think otherwise.

We started off fishing close in. No need for long casts. I had the compact scandi head out of the guides and not much more. We were up against the bank and I had to watch my d-loop to keep it from hitting the trees that we were backed up against. While I swung the fly, Steve shared his opinions on presentation and when to set the hook if I get a nibble. As mostly a trout fisherman, I have a hair trigger reaction to any grabs. That doesn't cut it with steelhead, it will take some major brain washing to get me to back off and let the steelhead take the fly.





We stepped down the river quite a ways. I got a few grabs, but didn't hook up with anything. An hour or two later, Steve walked back upstream as I continued to fish the last 50 yards. He came back with the jet and we went to the next spot.

I learned quite a bit about how steelhead move through the river and why. Not just where they hold, but the path they take while traveling and why they stage in one spot or another. No matter how many books you read or how often you fish, it is nice to have someone lay it out for you as you're motoring up/down the river. The fact that we were in a jet boat, really drove the point home.

I don't know how many river miles we covered that day, but we were all over the place. I fished in all sorts of runs with varied terrain at various depths. Steve also gave me some casting and running line managing tips. Although we were using floating tips, he showed me some different mends that can get the fly down several feet in the deeper runs.

I hooked a few fish throughout the day. However, I didn't get any big ones. I think most of the fish were sea-run cutthroats. Although, some of the grabs felt much more like steelhead. However, I wasn't able to get one. No matter, that is typical steelhead fishing for you. Steve taught me a lot about where to look for fish. Frankly, some of the spots he put me in, I would of surely passed by if I were on my own. I have and will use what I learned on my usual steelhead waters around home.

If you are ever in Washington and want a great steelhead guide, I don't think you can go wrong with Steve.