Northwest Fishing Reports

So I'm pretty familiar with the snohomish and have had great success in the past but this year with so little time to fish, the sky and Wallace being closed as of now and seeing plenty of fish jumping from across the river I wanted to try out the opposite sand bar of Thomas eddy but the problem is I do not know how to get there. I know to take short school road but that is it. If anyone could help out with this it would be much appreciated. Feel free to pm me if you don't want to disclose on here and thanks in advance to anyone who is willing to help out!

go to bob hierman park and theres a trail that goes down river if i remember correctly

So you take hwy9 south to Broadway, take a left at the light, go to connelly road continue on Connelly just past the railroad crossing and the park is on the left.

Joey Smith wrote:go to bob hierman park and theres a trail that goes down river if i remember correctly

Thanks guys but I know how to get to Bob heirman park. What I am trying to get to is across the river from the park.

That is a pay area, you have to get a key somehow to get through the gate. There is a WDFW public access just up the road on the Short School rd. but you are kind of on the bank on the river bend. There is a trail that goes further down that I did not explore.

Also you can cross the river when its low enough on the very upper portion of the hole at Bob Heirman. Last year I crossed the river a few times lower past the stretch everyone fishes, but there were many deep holes to avoid and it was pretty sketchy, will not be doing that this year.

I've thought about that and have tried in the past and yes it is very sketchy at times. I have a raft I'm thinking of using to get across but I really don't want to float from Lewis bridge down as that will take forever and I am limited in time I have to go fishing.

4n6fisher wrote:That is a pay area, you have to get a key somehow to get through the gate. There is a WDFW public access just up the road on the Short School rd. but you are kind of on the bank on the river bend. There is a trail that goes further down that I did not explore.

I believe you are speaking of swan trails farm and I'm aware of that also. I am specifically speaking of the sand bar directly across Thomas eddy. I appreciate everyone's input

The WDFW access site on the donkey farm side is Tomas Eddy. you would have to cross or wade up down to the bar you are referring to as it all private above and below the access site. You can buy a key for Douglass bar, just downstream from the WDFW access site

strider43 wrote:The WDFW access site on the donkey farm side is Tomas Eddy. you would have to cross or wade up down to the bar you are referring to as it all private above and below the access site. You can buy a key for Douglass bar, just downstream from the WDFW access site

Once again thanks guys but I'm aware of ALL WDFW ACCESS SITES including Thomas eddy. I also know of Douglas bar(which btw is mostly for plunkers and jiggers) I live nearby so this is the river I fish at the most. Usually I will be chasing them throughout the sky and Wallace but not this year. I'm just gonna have to take a look for myself or just accept the fact that I will be at Thomas eddy instead. Good luck to everyone out there and tight lines!!

Wading across with open waders is pretty sketchy and it feels also like the river is higher this year than it was last year or the channels are different. I used a kayak PFD in case I lost footing then I wouldn't go down but still not awesome. With the rain the next few days this crossing def. won't be happening at this spot.

Also possible a bit lower in the gravel redds where the pinks spawn but thats a bit sketchy too. I think access from the other side is all private given the signs when I scoped it out.

Directly across from Bob Hierman park is all private but he keeps asking about across from Thomas Eddy

Flying Scotsman wrote:Wading across with open waders is pretty sketchy and it feels also like the river is higher this year than it was last year or the channels are different. I used a kayak PFD in case I lost footing then I wouldn't go down but still not awesome. With the rain the next few days this crossing def. won't be happening at this spot.


Also possible a bit lower in the gravel redds where the pinks spawn but thats a bit sketchy too. I think access from the other side is all private given the signs when I scoped it out.

Thanks I was wondering that exactly . seen guys there this Saturday and was curious how they got there. Might just had to see if my buddy with a boat wants to try it out instead even though I get more satisfied when I hook up on the bank instead of boat. That's just me!

strider43 wrote:Directly across from Bob Hierman park is all private but he keeps asking about across from Thomas Eddy

That's all I needed thanks!

Maybe you're talking about crab bar?

oldguyfox wrote:Maybe you're talking about crab bar?

Not sure of the name but you may be right. I've heard it is only accessible via boat. If you are correct thanks for giving this area a name as I couldn't find any info. As for private property I looked it up and it actually isn't private but the land back up behind is so it near impossible to get there unless you know the owner. Once again I may be totally wrong about this and that is why I turned to this site as it has helped me a lot and quite frankly have never asked for directions to a spot but with limited opportunities I figured what do I have to lose and everyone has been giving some great info!

Fairly new to the snohomish river. I was hoping to get my boat out by 522 tomorrow morning. I have a 17' Fiberglas glasply, currently putting around with my 18hp evinrude. My main outboard failed on me this summer, I've been slowly getting by with this while repairing. Considering I'm very undersized, it's difficult to launch and retrieve from ramps without a dock. Can I get to 522 if I launch from Lowell-rotary? I know it's a trek, but I don't know how shallow that sand bar gets or if it's even passable. Is the sky high bridge a better option? Any info is greatly appreciated!

You could navigate around it but you have to be extremely careful go slow and keep an eye on your depth finder. Some spots can be extremely shallow. I would not recommend the sky bridge as that launch can be shallow and mainly for drift or jet boats. Plus the confluence can be dicey.

That's what I was thinking. Thank you! I will probably just assest the situation. At best I will be close.

Seattlesin wrote:That's what I was thinking. Thank you! I will probably just assest the situation. At best I will be close.

One more piece of advise. Anytime you run into an island on the river heading towards Thomas eddy I suggest you stay on the east of the river as you will run into lots of logs and shallow water if you stay on the west side of the river. Once you get close to Thomas eddy that's where it can be tricky if you can wait to see where other boats are traveling and try to use the same lanes as they do. Good luck out there and let us know how you do!