The Outdoor Line Forum

If I was to try for some steelhead on the cowlitz river, where exactly should I go and what bate should i use? I am 100% new to it, so i need to know the line and bate, never done it before. I would have to fish from shore.

Welcome aboard P,
Try to get some fresh sand shrimp from a tackle shop or from low tide on a sandy Puget Sound beach.
You could also get some fresh prawns from a grocery store and cure them up with a little Pro-Cure.

Most of the guides down there have gone to yarn balls instead of bait but from the bank you need an advantage! \

Good luck!

If you're bank fishing I would probably rig up with a float and jig set up. Set up your jig so it's about a foot off the bottom and your in business. Some of the guys are also using a bead below their jig or even just a straight bead. The best bank fishing spot is generally up and downstream of Blue Creek hatchery. Any tackle shop worth their salt can help you set up this rig. DuckDog