Posted by: Todd
Barrier Dam Report - 05/19/02 06:15 PM
Well, I made my once or twice a year trip to the Cowlitz...trying to hook up with a springer or two.
The flow had been reduced quite a bit Friday evening, and plenty of fish were there at the Barrier Dam. All in all I'd say I saw about twenty fish landed.
I saw a very novel way to avoid the rules prohibiting bank fishing from the south bank or fishing from a boat...some fellas ran their sled up to the deadline and anchored on a gravel bar island, then fished off of that. They caught about half of the fish I saw landed, maybe more.
Here's an interesting development that I witnessed; around 6 am or so a guy started fishing with a Pt. Wilson Dart, casting and very lightly jigging it as it was retrieved. At first I thought he was some kind of yahoo snagger, but then I noticed that as the day went on there were several others using them, including the fellas across the river. I'd say that 1/4 of the fishermen were using darts, and they accounted for more than half the fish hooked. I only saw two fish foul hooked using the darts (they all had single hooks, as far as I could tell).
A few bummers of the day...
First, the bottom is indescribably getting worse and worse to get a drift through, with the boulders and literally miles of lines stuck on them. Plan on losing LOTS of leaders.
Second, the deadline float fishermen just can't help themselves from casting way over the deadline up into the closed area. No warden yesterday, but I've heard they've been cracking down. Doesn't seem to be helping.
Third, one of the two fish that were foul hooked that I saw was kept. I was up in the parking lot changing out of my gear at about 2pm and a guy was coming down with a fish on, which he eventually landed another two hundred yards downstream. The fish at times was skating on the surface with the jig directly in its dorsal fin, which is why a thirteen pound fish took him 300 yards downstream before he could land it. The three of us watching this spectacle were somewhat, but not too, surprised to see him walking back up through the parking lot with the fish, the jig now stuck in the side of its mouth.
"Look! Everyone told me it was snagged, but look where the hook is!"
Yeah, right. If he thought he was fooling anyone he's no brigher than he is ethical...
I didn't hook any salmon, but did manage a eight or nine pound steelhead on a pink worm, drifted.
All the springers I saw were beautiful fish, most ten to twelve pounds, a few three or five pound jacks, and a couple upwards of sixteen or seventeen pounds. All chromers.
Anyone else up there yesterday?
Fish on...
Todd.
The flow had been reduced quite a bit Friday evening, and plenty of fish were there at the Barrier Dam. All in all I'd say I saw about twenty fish landed.
I saw a very novel way to avoid the rules prohibiting bank fishing from the south bank or fishing from a boat...some fellas ran their sled up to the deadline and anchored on a gravel bar island, then fished off of that. They caught about half of the fish I saw landed, maybe more.
Here's an interesting development that I witnessed; around 6 am or so a guy started fishing with a Pt. Wilson Dart, casting and very lightly jigging it as it was retrieved. At first I thought he was some kind of yahoo snagger, but then I noticed that as the day went on there were several others using them, including the fellas across the river. I'd say that 1/4 of the fishermen were using darts, and they accounted for more than half the fish hooked. I only saw two fish foul hooked using the darts (they all had single hooks, as far as I could tell).
A few bummers of the day...
First, the bottom is indescribably getting worse and worse to get a drift through, with the boulders and literally miles of lines stuck on them. Plan on losing LOTS of leaders.
Second, the deadline float fishermen just can't help themselves from casting way over the deadline up into the closed area. No warden yesterday, but I've heard they've been cracking down. Doesn't seem to be helping.
Third, one of the two fish that were foul hooked that I saw was kept. I was up in the parking lot changing out of my gear at about 2pm and a guy was coming down with a fish on, which he eventually landed another two hundred yards downstream. The fish at times was skating on the surface with the jig directly in its dorsal fin, which is why a thirteen pound fish took him 300 yards downstream before he could land it. The three of us watching this spectacle were somewhat, but not too, surprised to see him walking back up through the parking lot with the fish, the jig now stuck in the side of its mouth.
"Look! Everyone told me it was snagged, but look where the hook is!"
Yeah, right. If he thought he was fooling anyone he's no brigher than he is ethical...
I didn't hook any salmon, but did manage a eight or nine pound steelhead on a pink worm, drifted.
All the springers I saw were beautiful fish, most ten to twelve pounds, a few three or five pound jacks, and a couple upwards of sixteen or seventeen pounds. All chromers.
Anyone else up there yesterday?
Fish on...
Todd.