Spring-like weather follows heavy rains, and rising temps should mean better steelheading. Lowland lakes trout stocking continues, Silver Lake panfish excellent.
Best Weekend Bets
Recent rains boost late run steelhead bite in Cowlitz, Kalama Rivers
Silver Lake crappie, yellow perch rated excellent
Lowland trout lakes fishing boosted by surplus steelhead, fresh stockings
Last call for Washougal River, Salmon Creek, and Rock Creek winters
Columbia River walleye biting well in The Dalles and John Day pools
Weather
Anglers will see spring-like weather in SW Washington, with the area expected to remain dry through the middle of next week, with highs in the upper 50’s and lower 60’s. The rains lifted some rivers, and the warm weather should improve the steelhead bite. Rain will return next Wednesday, bringing with it another burst of steelhead, and hopefully some more early spring Chinook.
Columbia River
The good folks at the Gorge Outfitters Supply in Rufus report that the walleye bite is improving again, after tough conditions kept many anglers off the water this past week. The usual baits are working. The Bandit deep-diving crankbaits and worm harnesses are working well, and a few fish are taking jigged baits.
Cowlitz River
River flows below Mayfield Dam were 4,370 cubic feet per second on Tuesday, February 23, 2026. Water visibility is 4 feet and water temperature is 43.7(F). River flows could change at any time so boaters and anglers should remain alert for this possibility. Get information about river flows and lake levels at MyTPU.org/LakeLevels.
Last week, Tacoma Power employees recovered 17 Coho adults and 473 winter-run Steelhead over four days of operations at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator. Anglers are still finding spotty fishing, even though there are plenty of winter steelhead in the river. Dave Mallahan of Dave’s Guide Service (360) 201-9313 reports that anglers are catching some winter steelhead in the upper Cowlitz, although the bite continues to be spotty, with catches one day excellent and the next day poor. Low water in the river has not been conducive to consistent angling, and the river was dropped this week, which did not help.
A few spring Chinook have been caught lately, which could be a good sign of a substantial run on the way.
You can check the river gauge at Mayfield Lake here.
Mayfield Lake
Fishing is good for Trout. It was stocked with rainbows all summer and has a lot of holdovers from last year. Best technique is to troll with dodgers and lake trolls with a wedding ring tipped with worms or shrimp or use a rooster tail spinner. Musky fishing and Bass fishing are slow during winter due to cold water.
Kalama River
The Winter Steelhead are in and spread through the system. About 1,000 have returned to the hatchery so far this winter. There were reports of a springer being caught recently. Springers should be in from mid-March to June. Bobber fishing with Jigs, beads and eggs has been very productive. Spinners and Spoons can be good options for Steelhead and Salmon.
Lewis River
Above Johnson Creek, there is a night closure and anti-snagging rules are in effect. Winter Steelhead are in and throughout the system, but the hatchery run is over, and wild fish will dominate the catch. A few early Springers have been caught. Springer fishing will be best late March through May. The lower river has been good for plunking spin n glows with coon shrimp. When fishing upstream, Bobber fishing with Jigs beads and eggs, spinners and plugs are recommended. Only Hatchery Salmon or Steelhead can be retained.
The river has been running strong, with the gauge at Woodland running at about 12.5 feet. It is expected to drop some over the week, but these are good flows for fishing.
You can check the gauge at Woodland here. You can check the river gauge at Ariel here.
Trout Stocking
You can check the trout stocking report here.
Battle Ground Lake was planted with 2,000 catchable rainbows at 2.13 per pound on Feb. 24. Anglers are doing well fishing off the fishing dock. Powerbait is a good choice.
Klineline Pond was stocked with 2,000 catchable rainbows at 2.13 per pound on Feb. 24. Best bite has been Powerbait on the bottom, but other baits fished below a bobber are getting some fish.
Kress Lake has been well stocked with trout and steelhead, and the fishing is rated fair to good.
Horseshoe Lake Trout fishing is picking up. Horseshoe was stocked with Steelhead from the Lewis River and 2000 Trout were stocked at the end of January. Bass fishing is still slow will pick up next month for pre-spawn. Bluegill and pan fish can be good.