Steelheader69,

Hey man, I feel your pain! I live 5 minutes from it and I only fished it once this winter for the very reasons you vent about. It absolutely sucks!

I have a different take on the increase in pressure. Though you didn't address it, the huge increase in sleds and their ilk is due in part to the cowlitz blowing chunks for the better part of the last 4-5 winters. The boys and their toys have to go somewhere and since no one has the balls to put a stop to the sleds, it will continue.

The HUGE increase in driftboats is due in part to Fishing and Hunting Lies and every puget sound newspaper that says every week the nooch is the place to go and you will surely catch your limit! I see alot of guys new to the sport shelling out for the new driftboat and acting like a parade of lemmings making a beeline for this river because the "paper told them too". These guys don't know any better; it is all they have experienced so they are content to join the fleet down the river not really knowing how it could and used to be.

It's funny, but many of the locals I know pick other rivers these days because they too know how it used to be and are disgusted like you and I. It has become a puget sound river. I had to go to Oly early on a Saturday morning a few weeks back and you should have seen the parade on the freeway! At the exit alone I counted 5 boats and that was in the space of 1 minute!

Another reason for the increase is WDFW's reduction in planting other rivers with enough smolts to create quality fisheries on many lesser known streams. It seems like fewer and fewer rivers are getting substantial numbers and those that are are getting more, thus, what is created is a mob scene on a few select rivers instead spreading out the pressure with more opportunity. Yes, I am well aware that there are still smaller streams getting plants but I am also aware that those plants are a fraction of what they used to be. I can remember not so long ago when the Willapa, Naselle, Humptulips(not stevens creek)and Deschutes were THE places to go. They still have spurts but not near what they used to.

Look at me! I'm ranting and raving too. I don't know where I'm going with all this except to say it surprises me that more guys don't get disgusted too and venture out a little more and explore. Fish are caught but it is anything but "red hot and the place to go!"

Maybe I should just shut up and keep the lemmings coming here. Then we can have continued solitude on our personal zipperlips.

I'm done now.