SW Washington fishing report
Cowlitz best trib for steelhead, Chinook. Mainstem Columbia slowing for salmon and steelhead, sockeye run disappointing. Trout, panfish good in local lakes.
Best weekend bets
Hike-in trout lakes offer good fishing, solitude
Cowlitz salmon/steelhead fair, other tribs slow
Columbia River walleye bite very good
Shad run: over 2.5 million cross Bonneville Dam
Swift Reservoir, power canal trout good
Goose Lake trout bite very good
Bass and panfish biting in lowland lakes
Columbia river
Salmon/steelhead
87 salmonid boats and 366 Washington bank rods were tallied on the flight count Sunday, June 28. Fishing slowed over the past week for both steelhead and sockeye, with the Bonneville area even slowing. There were some decent catches in the Longview area. Only a little over 56,000 sockeye have crossed Bonneville Dam, a very disappointing show.
Walleye
The good folks at the Gorge Outfitters Supply in Rufus reports that the walleye bite is still going strong, and it does not seem to be slowing at all. The catch is mostly eating sized walleye between one and three pounds. The schools continue to hold from 12 to 30 feet. The best bite is still coming on the worm harnesses, which is the most effective method for summer walleyes. Fishing guide Buddy Dupell of Columbia River Fishing Adventures also reports excellent fishing for walleyes, with catches topping 20 fish a day at times.
Shad
As of Wednesday, 2,673,911 shad have crossed Bonneville Dam. The schools are now spread through the river and being caught as high up as McNary Dam. The run is peaking right now, but is still going very strong. Anglers are getting them on shad darts, Dick Nite Spoons, and small jigs.
Cowlitz River
River flows below Mayfield Dam were 3,560 cubic feet per second on Monday, June 29, 2026. Water visibility is 12 feet and water temperature is 50.5 (F).
The river flows have been holding steady, and are expected to remain that way through the week. Fishing has slowed for both salmon and steelhead, but the Cowlitz is still the best SW Washington Columbia tributary for either species. The best action continues to be below the Barrier Dam for Chinook, and below Blue Creek for steelhead. Salmon eggs are the best bet for the springers, but sand shrimp and coon shrimp will also tempt them. Bank anglers below the Barrier Dam are mostly fishing the bait below a bobber. Boat anglers are bobber-dogging with bait.
Boat anglers intent on steelhead are bobber-dogging with beads or bait. Bank anglers are fishing bait or beads below a bobber, and some are drifting or tossing hardware.
Cowlitz River gauges
You can check the river gauge at Kelso here. You can check the river gauge at Castle rock here. You can check the river gauge at the Mayfield Dam here.
Lewis River
The river has dropped this week, and is now running between 10 and 11 feet at the gauge at Woodland. It is expected to remain at that lever all week. Fishing continues to be slow, even though effort on the Lewis has jumped up. 31 bank anglers released one Chinook, while 8 boats/12 rods kept one Chinook and two steelhead in the last creel survey.
You can check the river gauge near Woodland here.
Merwin Reservoir
Kokanee fishing is still good, and the fish are growing well. The recent cool cloudy weather has brought the fish higher in the water column. But the sunny weather this weekend and into next week should push them deeper again. The fish are taking trolled hoochies or kokanee spinners tipped with kokanee corn and fished behind dodgers. Be ready to adapt as the schools move deeper.
Trout Stocking
You can check the WDFW trout stocking reports here.
Mayfield Reservoir
The lake was stocked on June 30 with 3,320 rainbows at 1.66 per pound.
Swift Power Canal
The canal was stocked on June 29 with 1,400 rainbows at 1.20 per pound.
Council Lake
This lake in Skamania County was stocked with 3,000 rainbows at 2.2 per pound on June 23.
High elevation hike-in trout lakes
There about 1,600 high elevation trout lakes in western Washington. While most of these were fishless, many are now stocked periodically by the WDFW. Rainbows, brook trout, and cutthroat trout are usually stocked, but some lakes have brown trout, and tiger trout have been stocked in some of these lakes, too.
The fishing can be excellent, and many of these trout have never seen a lure or a fly. For more information, including lists of the stocked lakes, and maps, check the WDFW high country trout webpage here.