EJ with a summer chrome.
The recent change in weather sure has been nice; I had forgotten what it was like to be able to fish all day without suffering from heat exhaustion. The floaters/tubers have moved off the rivers allowing the salmon and steelhead to get back to their normal haunts. With the overcast weather we have been able to hook fish throughout the day. The summertime flows are definitely upon us. Be patient and sneaky: you will be rewarded sooner–or later.
The Cowlitz is a low-river show at the moment… and Blue Creek is slow at press time. A rise in CFS will bring in more fish, but until then focus your summer-run fishing on Columbia River tributaries and their confluences with the Columbia. Mathematically speaking, the Columbia is the place to be. Run spinners and flat fish at the mouth of the Cowlitz, or pull bait divers from Blue Creek to I-5.
This Sunday has river pink salmon fishing opening on the Snohomish and Skagit systems, and I can only think this fresh rain helped things a bit. I will be offering a book-for-four, pay-for-three deal on the Snohomish system starting August 16th for the pink salmon fishery. If the fishing is anywhere close to years past, we are in for a blood bath. The Sky took a slight rise today and should have its first humpy salmon entering the river. There are still plenty of steelhead around in the upper river, you just have to beat trail and be willing to put in your time.
Sincerely,
Bonner Daniels
***P.S. Save Tokul Creek Summer Run Steelhead — write your congressman***