A lot of the boaters have not been going gang-busters on the Cowlitz over this holiday period, although Blue Creek is getting some pretty good fish numbers. Its probably not you, but the river flows. The Cowlitz seems to float best between 8,000-10,000 cfs. Anything higher and there's too much water for the fish to travel in, too much water to cover; anything lower and you get spooky fish. The river was running well over 10,000 for most (all?)of December/January.

Try floating it when it drops or sword fight with everyone else at Blue Creek, and you'll probably have a lot more luck. Tight lines.