SW Washington fishing – Columbia River reopens for 3 days for spring Chinook, but best action is at Drano Lake, Wind River. Brown trout stocked in local lakes, spring trout fishing good. Bass and panfish biting.
Best weekend bets
Columbia River mainstem open for springers Friday through Sunday
Drano Lake, Wind River springer bite slows a bit but still red-hot
Tributary spring Chinook good in some rivers
Columbia River walleye bite remains very good
Columbia tributary summer steelhead improving
Lowland trout lakes fishing rated good all around
The Trout Derby began the 25th, prizes available.
Bass and panfish getting active in local lakes
Columbia River
Columbia River springers
The states got together this past Tuesday, and after downsizing the upriver spring Chinook run size, they were still able to add some retention days. Anglers can fish from the Columbia River mouth up to the Washington/Oregon border for spring Chinook from Friday, May 15, through Sunday, May 17, and from Saturday, May 23, to Monday, May 25.
Columbia River walleye
The folks at the Gorge Outfitters Supply in Rufus report that the walleye bite continues to be hot, with no sign of slowing down. The fish are now hungry and feeding hard to recover from the spawn. The action is best in 12 to 30 feet of water over rocky reefs or gravel bottoms. Trolling worm harnesses downstream has been the go-to method.
Cowlitz River
Last week, Tacoma Power employees recovered 81 Winter-run Steelhead, 987 Spring Chinook adults, 121 Spring Chinook jacks, 23 Summer-run Steelhead, and one Cutthroat trout over five days of operations at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator.
River flows below Mayfield Dam were 5,180 cubic feet per second on Monday, May 11, 2026. Water visibility is 8 feet and water temperature is 47.7 (F). River flows could change at any time so boaters and anglers should remain alert for this possibility.
Even with the big numbers returning to the hatchery trap, fishing for spring Chinook remains rather slow, even as the run seems to be peaking. In the latest creel survey in the river below the I-5 Bridge, 101 bank anglers kept one steelhead, and released one Chinook, one steelhead and one sturgeon. 1 boat/2 rods had no catch. Most lower river bank anglers are plunking with Spin-n-glos and coon shrimp, or other baits. However, the current flows of a little over 5,000cfs is not a prime flow for plunking.
In the upper river, 18 bank anglers kept one Chinook. No boat effort reported. Most upper river anglers are fishing bobber and bait. Other methods might be better, so anglers fighting a tough bite might switch it up with spinners or plugs. These catches are poor for the fact that almost 1000 springers returned this week. Slow returns of summer steelhead are not contributing to the bite, either.
Drano Lake
The springer fishing is still good, although Dave Mallahan of Daves Guide Service (360) 201-9313, reports that it did slow down a bit this past week. While the fishing is excellent, and he is limiting the boat most days, the heavy crowds continue to make the fishing challenging. The word about the good bite has gotten out. In the latest creels, 100 bank anglers kept 13 Chinook and released one Chinook. 168 boats/524 rods kept 438 Chinook and released one Chinook. While the action has been best in the Toilet Bowl, a few have been taken in the main lake.
Wind River
The Wind River has seen a real explosion of fishing pressure, and in the latest creel surveys, 8 bank anglers had no catch. 299 boats/1007 rods kept 335 Chinook, six jacks, one steelhead and released six Chinook, one steelhead and one sturgeon. Most anglers are trolling with the plastic cut-plug baits behind 360 flashers. With the water warming with the weather, the 360 flashers have been working better than triangle flashers.
Trout stocking
You can check the WDFW trout stocking reports here.
Horsethief Lake was stocked with 3,000 catchable rainbows at 2.5 per pound on May 6.
Kress Lake was stocked with 2,700 brown trout at 2.7 per pound on May 6.
Lake Sacajawea was stocked with 2,700 brown trout at 2.7 per pound on May 6.