Check out this great-looking winter steelhead. With green water, steelies can be banked no matter what the temperature. But monitor the weather for stable barometric conditions to make sure fish stay on the bite. Photo by Timothy Kusherets

Winter steelheading really begins in February, when all the other fishermen call it a year. It makes for very interesting fishing.

There are two amazing locations to fish for winter steelhead. They’re hidden along a winding street called Spencer Road where every year, two fish hatcheries provide outstanding fishing for the state of Washington.

In between the Cowlitz Trout Hatchery and the Barrier Dam Salmon Hatchery are two awesome secret honeyholes that I’ve never shared with anyone -- until now.

To distinguish them, let’s call them K-1 and K-2.

Each demands distinctive fishing techniques that work only with specific water levels. The first location is the hardest to access, since the best time to fish it is when anglers call it quits.

The hole doesn’t reveal itself until the river rises to 14,000 cubic feet per second, which most hydrologists would call flood stage. But first, let’s start with the directions of how to get to this outstanding water.

Getting to the river is pretty easy from Interstate 5. Head east along Highway 12 for six or seven miles to Salkum, Wash. Turn right onto Tucker Road, and eventually you will come to a “Y” in the road connecting with Classe Road.

Turn left onto Classe Road and follow it to the end, where it intersects with Spencer Road. Turn left onto Spencer Road and look for a fish hatchery sign on the right, about one mile down the road.

Look for an open field on the right with the only road on it. Turn right and follow it to the stop sign and make a left following the road to the boat launch and parking lot.

The trailhead is the southwest corner of the lot. The trail meanders through the woods at first and then follows the river towards Blue Creek.

K-1
The fishable water of K-1 is almost a mile long, and unless the river actually floods, it cannot be seen -- which is why steelhead love it and fishermen don’t know about it.

Check the hydrograph at the USGS.gov website on the Cowlitz River for flows of at least “Fourteen-thousand” CFS.

In all the time I’ve fished this secret spot, I’ve never seen another fishermen anywhere along the stretch of water. Logs, grass, snags and branches are everywhere. And because of the lack of anglers, metalheads feel no pressure.

Anglers just need to know how to fish it. But first, you have to find it.

To get to K-1, head down the trail from the parking lot of the hatchery. Near the end of trail, the hold can be found on the left side of the trail where there is a short drop-off.

The water there will not look at all inviting, but the fish will be there. To get to the best spots, find a stout fallen branch about 6 feet long.

Probe the water to find ledges and bars, and follow them to the other side of the turbid water. Look for slots, eddies, pools and tail-outs. Just about any one of the holds will have fish in them any time of the day. And the best part is that they’ll always be on the bite, due to a lack of predatory pressure.