Fall is a wonderful time to visit the Green River Fish Hatchery--with or without a pole!  Last week I took my two year old nephew to see the salmon.  We saw mommy salmon, daddy salmon, and piles of baby salmon.  We walked down an anglers' trail and waded in the water where several spawned-out Chinook lay dead, their nutrients adding to the next generation.  Because it was the middle of a warm, fall day, the anglers that sometimes flock here to catch returning salmon, were gone for the day.  

The Department of Wildlife places a barrier across the Green River to direct salmon to the ladder leading to the hatchery holding ponds.  Several pairs of Chinook were guarding their "redds", or salmon nests, just downstream of the barrier.  The salmon are easy to see, even for a toddler, as they zip back and forth.  The concrete holding areas were full of salmon, too, and my nephew had a blast watching these huge Chinook leap and splash.  Other rearing areas held thousands of young salmon that swam close in swarms, no doubt looking to be fed.  

Visiting the hatchery is a fun way to spend an afternoon for wildlife viewing, hiking the road along the river, or trying your hand at catching a salmon.  Check the fishing regulations and the emergency rules.  The Green River is closed to Chinook retention, and several areas right near the hatchery are always closed to fishing to give returning salmon a safe area, but Coho fishing and steelhead fishing is currently open.  An access road follows the river upstream and makes a nice hike.  

The trick here is actually finding the fish hatchery.  Start at the 1900 logging road that loops below Kid Valley Campground.  Stay right and cross the North Toutle River below 19 Mile House restaurant, then stay to the right on the open (ungated) gravel road.  This 1901 logging road has side roads gated, requiring an expensive Weyerhaeuser permit.  Follow the gravel road uphill to the big yellow gate, which may be open or closed.  Do not go past the gate, but stay to the right and on the "main drag".  Several other logging roads intersect, but they are either gated or signed with Weyerhaeuser's permit required signs.  Stay on the road that has been used the most (508), which winds gradually down to the hatchery.  At one point you will be tempted to go straight, but the 508 main road turns left.  In 1.8 miles you reach another yellow gate that is open with a sign describing rules for using the hatchery area.  Go past the sign and drop down to the hatchery parking. A state Discover Pass or a vehicle access pass that comes with your fishing license is required for parking here.  The best place to see salmon is to the right, past the hatchery buildings, just below the ladder.   Short access trails lead to the river.  

Before the eruption, a paved road crossed the Toutle River and went to the hatchery.  I even rode the school bus here one time to visit my uncle who was working the salmon, and one of my school buddies lived in one of the homes that stood here.  All that changed on May 18, 1980, when the area was inundated with mud.  Later, the mud was scraped away, some of the better homes were moved, and the hatchery restarted.  The county road was not rebuilt, so, like much of Southwest Washington, Weyerhaeuser controls access now, and could shut off public access to the hatchery at any time. 

If you do not want to drive on logging roads, and aren't afraid to get your feet wet, you can also wade across the Green River to the hatchery.   From Kid Valley, head east on SR504.  As soon as you cross the North Toutle River, look for a green, gated road on the left.  Park along the highway near here.  Hike past the gate and down an old road that follows a finger ridge between the dirtier North Toutle and the clear Green River.  This road is lined with some remant old growth and is worthy of its own trip (and its own Blog post).   It might take some bushwhacking, but angler trails are usually abundant.  This time of year the Green River is low, and a wader usually doesn't get wet past the knees.  Work upstream until you reach the trail from the hatchery.  If you come to the cable across the river (that marks the edge of the no fishing area) you've come too far.  Look for trails up the bank that lead to the hatchery.  

The Department of Wildife just obtained ownership of the wedge of land between the rivers here and the should be incorporating it into the St. Helens Wildife Area.  Perhaps better public access will be incorporated into any future plans.  

This is a photo of my first Toutle River Chinook salmon.  What a fun fight, as it beat for the rapids and I ended up with tired arms and wet feet, but I landed it. Unfortunatley, the season had just closed to keeping chinook, so I let it go--right after the photo!.  Now all hatchery fish on the Green River have a clipped addipose fin.  (note the intact adipose on this fish).

August 1 marks the start of salmon season on the Toutle River system,.  As with steelhead, you will need a Washington state fishing license, a Columbia River endorsement, and a punchcard with salmon as an optionn.  Drews grocery can get you fixed up with all of these documents.  

The rivers might be open, but the salmon don't show up unless we get some rain.  The first fall fish to arrive will be Fall Chinook (aka Kings) headed for the Green River Fish Hatchery.  Then, if we are lucky, the silvers (aka coho) come with the next batch of rain.  Like most fishing, timing is everything.  You want rain, but not so much rain that the rivers turn to chocolate milk.  Sometimes dedicated anglers spend an entire month at Kid Valley Campground, which is a short drive from the mouth of the Green River, where many folks try their luck.  

Again, the rules are complex, especially around the hatchery.  It is so complex there that I feel there should be an accredited course put on by the local Junior College in "fishing regulations".  To be safe, use single barbless hooks with no bait, something like number 4 Blue Fox spinners in various colors.  Salmon move through fishing holes, so you can spend several hours working one hole.  It can get frustrating seing salmon jump and splash all around you but they refuse to bite.  Because of the temptation to "snag", gear rules get more restrictive near the hatchery during prime fishing time.  Carry the regulations with you.  Anything you catch with an adipose fin must be released and not removed from the water.  Bag limits and species are in the rules, but generally only hatchery coho, chinook and hatchery steelhead can be kept.  The rules sometimes change mid-stream mid-season, so check the WDFW website for updates before you head out. 

The same areas I described in earlier posts for swimming and steelhead work for salmon, too. 

It is HOT out there, so where can visitors go to cool off and take a swim around here? 

Coldwater Lake: Yes, you can swim here and it is popular with non-gas powered boats and kayaks.  For swimming, the Forest Service has the shore access very limited, but you may walk the shore below the high water mark from either the boat launch or the "Discovery Area"  along the outlet.  Do not use the boardwalks or boat launch to access the lake for swimming.  There is an additional water access with a restroom one mile up the Lakes Trail.  The lake is very close (jumping distance) from the trail in an additional location along hike.  The best official water access spot is near the end of the lake, at three miles.  Here there is a nice beach with good swimming or fishing access.

Silver Lake:  Great for boating and kayaking but not so great anymore for swimming and waterskiing.  These days the warm weather and shallow, nutrient rich water means nasty, and sometimes dangerous, algal blooms.  ***August 2018 Update: Water is dangerous due to toxic algae. Warnings posted**  Access points; Kerr Road boat launch, Canal Road culvert accessed via Sightly Road.

Toutle River: The Toutle is a system of several rivers, the North, South and Mainstem Toutle.  Because Harry Gardner County Park sits at the forks, it provides public access to all three segments. Across from Drews Grocery, take South Toutle Road three miles to the bridge over the S. Toutle.  Public land extends from the bridge downstream to the junction with the North Toutle, and beyond.  Cowlitz County also owns land on the North Fork here, that enters the South Fork from the east.  These rivers are prone to wander, and the swimming and fishing holes change yealry (along with the ownership of the bottom).

South Toutle: The bulk of the South Toutle River can be accessed via Weyerhaeuser logging road 4100, which is open to the public and parallels the river for miles before it is gated for permit holders only.  Follow South Toutle Rd, past Harry Park about 1 1/2 miles, to a very wide gravel road on the right.  Take that road and follow it along the river.  Most side roads are gated (except a few heading uphill).  Most pullouts have angler trails that head to fishing and swimming holes.

Mainstem Toutle: Tower Road crosses the mainstem Toutle River at a WDFW access area.  Sometimes experienced boaters float "Hollywood Gorge" between the Spirit Lake Hwy Bridge and Tower Road Bridge.  During high water the Gorge is quite dangerous with class V rapids.  With the murky water hiding submerged logs, people have died tubing or floating the Gorge even in summer. Beware.

North Toutle:  Toward Kid Valley the North Fork Toutle can be accessed via the 1900 logging road below Kid Valley Campground.  Park near the bridge below 19 Mile House.  The North Toutle can be muddy at times, and watch out for unseen hazards.  Further up river, across from the Buried A-frame, the river can be access as well.  The public owns land at the fish collection facility, which drops to the left just before the next bridge (if you get to Sediment Dam Road you've gone to far).  The North Fork can also be waded here to get to the Green River Fish Hatchery. 

Green River: On this same 1900 road follow the ungated logging roads up, down, and around to the Green River Fish Hatchery.  Fishing rules here get complex, and it gets pretty crazy when the salmon are running, but on a hot July or August day, the river is accessible for wading and swimming.  Be sure to check out the viewing area and the downstream end of the hatchery.  Salmon congregate here.

A note about navigability and ownership of shorelands.  In the state of Washington, the public owns the beds and shores of navigible waters.  The courts have decided that if a river was used, or could be used, to float shake and shingle bolts in the past, it is "navigible".  All of these rivers were used for moving shake bolts in the late 1800's and early 1900's, so if push came to shove, courts would probably consider them navigible.  Unfortunately, timber companies have been selling off and parcelling out our rivers over the last decade.  Newcomers may not realize that the public has access to the river below the high water mark.  Additionally our rivers move dramatically, and the bed of a river as it sat at statehood in 1889, could be where the public ownership still lies, sometimes high and dry.  Even in these places, where a navigable river flows over private land, the public still has the right to use the river due to an ancient concept called the "public trust doctrine". Its a confusing mess, but the areas I have mentioned have public lands, stable channels, or a long tradition of public use. 

We just passed the first Saturday in June, which around here means steelhead fishing is wide open in our rivers.  There was a week long "soft" opening on parts of the Green and South Toutle, but now all of the mainstem Toutle and South Toutle is open to steelhead fishing.  The limit is three HATCHERY (adipose fin-clipped) steelhead.

Fishing for our signature species has gotten increasingly complex since certain runs of Lower Columbia fish have been labeled endangered or threatened.  Fishery managers use gear restrictions, timing adjustments, and wild fish release requirements to increase hatchery harvest and limit wild spawning mortality.  And all this takes more money to coordinate and navigate.  Thus, unfortunately, river fishing gets complicated, and keeping a pamphlet of rules handy won't necessarily cover you because the rules can (and do) change mid-season.  EEKKK

So, is it even worth it for a newbie to try steelhead fishing?  You bet.  There is no better way to experience the beauty and power of the local rivers than casting a spinner or floating a jig for a steelie. 

Here is what you need to know to get started.

Go to a local store like Drew's Grocery, Sportsman's Warehouse, or Bob's in Longview and purchase a Washington state freshwater or combination fishing license along with a Columbia River endorsement.  An out-of-state one-day license and endorsement costs about $30.     A punchcard, where you write down your catch, comes with the licenses.  Be sure to get steelhead as a species.  Sign your license and pick up a regulation pamphlet, along with a few spinners or spoons.  The sales people should be well versed in local tackle. 

This weekend, June 9-10 is "free fishing weekend" and a license is not needed, but if you plan to fish for steelhead, you still need a catch record card (punchcard) and a Columbia River endorsement. 

The tackle requirements on the Toutle, Green and South Toutle are constantly changing with the date, but between the first Saturday in June and Aug. 1 it appears, after careful study of the pamphlet, that bait and barbed, and treble hooks are currently legal on the South Toutle, but barbless hooks are required on the mainstem and North Toutle.  This barbless/barbed issue is so confusing, I just use a barbless single hook at all times.  (The WDFW is supposed to be simplifying the rules now, so maybe things will get easier.)   

Here is a link to the current rules for you to make your own decision on barbed/barbless:  https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/01914/wdfw01914.pdf

OK.  So now you have your license, Columbia River endorsement, catch record card, and a legal lure (or bait) and are ready to fish.  Where to go.

The easiest place to start is the South Toutle.  It is planted with young hatchery steelhead (smolts) that will be arriving from the Cowlitz throughout the summer and fall.  Start at Harry Gardner county park, which has river access where the North and South Toutle meet.  Cast your lure upstream, at a slight angle, into the bottom end of pools and reel toward you.  Don't be afraid to move to a new pool or ripple often.  Steelhead sometimes lie in slow water below log jams or rocks.  Yes, you may bet hooked-up on these obstructions, but that is part of the game.  Be ready to wade and get wet, and if you are lucky enough to get a "hit" you will know it.  Steelhead fight, jump, shake, and fight some more.  Keep the tip up and the line tight. 

When landing your fish, first check to see if it has an adipose fin.  If it does, it must be carefully released without removing the fish from the water.  If it doesn't, current rules say that these hatchery fish must be kept (which is a very fine meal!).  The adipose fin is a small fleshy nob of a fin located between the tail fin and the dorsal (back) fin.  A hatchery fish (aka keeper) has a healed lump instead of an actual fleshy fin.  As soon as you land your hatchery steelhead, write down the information about the fish (river code, species, hatchery) on the catch record card with an inkpen.  The WDFW has cards with the river code that can be kept with the catch record card, or the codes are in the pamphlet along with a description of how to properly record your catch on pages 8 and 9.

Dispatch a steelhead with a strong blow to the head with a rock, and treat the cleaning process like you would any large trout.  Steelhead can be filleted like salmon, baked or barbequed whole while wrapped in tin foil, or cut into steaks.  Yummy.

Spring is a great time to hike the Coldwater Lake area.  With much of the deep backcountry of the Cascades still burried under piles of snow, the trails near Coldwater melt out early and provide great places for early season hiking.  This Mother's Day was the perfect time to hike the "Coldwater loop", which isn't a true loop trail, but a short section of hiking the shoulder of Hwy 504 makes a loop connecting several trails. 

We parked at the Hummocks Trailhead because the South Coldwater Trailhead is still locked behind the gate (until May 16).  Because the forecast called for heat, we started out early, and climbed the hill first.  We walked the 3/4 of a mile up the closed highway to the S. Coldwater Trail (trail 230A) then started up the hill.  I have climbed this many times, in all weather, but today the new shade the alders are providing made it a pleasant uphill climb.  After an uphill mile, you will reach the logging equipment which was destroyed in the eruption.  (The loggers who were working here were distant relatives of mine, and survived only because the mountain erupted on a Sunday.)  Past the equipment the shade becomes scarcer as the trail follows old logging roads with some gradual up and down, past an upturned logging "shovel", and to a junction.  Trailside snow for cold and refreshing slushies will only last another day or so.  At the junction with trail 230, the left fork "down" heads to the lake, and the right fork "up" heads toward Coldwater Peak and the Mt. Margaret backcountry, still with plenty of snow.  In two miles down hill, losing most of the elevation you have gained, you reach a lovely bridge across Coldwater Creek and soon after, a junction with Trail 211 (Lakes Trail).  The trail needs some fresh brushing out in places, but overall it is not too bad for blowdown.  We headed west (left) toward the Coldwater Lake access area about 1/2 mile down the trail.  It was heating up so wading in the cold lake was refreshing.  The fish were biting best for "Mom" and she caught one whopper.  (The regulations for Coldwater require single barbless hooks and no bait).  Only one fish over 18 inches can be kept.  The trophy anglers like the restrictions and have nexed any proposals to loosen them.

The lake access at the far end of Coldwater is by far the nicest place on the shore, with a wide sandy area and deep water near enough to cast to.  A few years ago the Forest Service was considering adding some boat-in or hike-in campsites, but like many improvement projects at Mount St. Helens, the idea was sidelined. 

After an extended lunch & fishin' stop, we hiked the 4 1/2 miles back to the boat launch, and from there a half mile on the road to the Hummocks Trail.   There is another official lake access area closer to the boat launch, but it is not very appealing.  The whole loop is about 12 miles, with 1500 feet elevation gain.

Like I mentioned, the Coldwater Lake area is getting popular with early season hikers, and quite a few folks were out enjoying the trail and lake.  Kayakers and electric motor boats are also a fun way to explore Coldwater, and in the summer there has been a kayak tour group operating there. 

New for 2020:  Leashed pets are now allowed on the Coldwater Lake and South Coldwater Trail.