First springer caught on Lewis River. Elochoman, Lewis early steelhead good. Big brooders/steelhead boost lowland lakes trout bite
Best bets for weekend fishing
Early steelhead runs in Lewis, Elochoman Rivers still biting.
Silver Lake crappie, yellow perch offer good panfishing
Lowland trout lakes fishing boosted by surplus steelhead, brooder trout
Late steelhead trickling in at Kalama, Cowlitz Rivers
Last call for Washougal River, Salmon Creek, and Rock Creek winters
Columbia River walleye biting in The Dalles and John Day pools
Weather: SW WA is expected to remain dry for the next week, with sunny weather this weekend, and highs in the 50’s. The dry weather will mean dropping river levels, and clear water, except for maybe the Cowlitz below the Toutle River, which may remain dirty for a few weeks more.
Trout stocking
Klineline Pond: stocked with 125 brood RB at 0.20 per/lb on Jan. 5. Stocked with 2,000 RB at 1.96 per/lb, and 2500 RB at 2.7 per/lb on Jan. 13. This is mostly a bait show, with most anglers fishing Powerbait. However, once the fish have acclimated to the pond, they often start rejecting the Powerbait. Carry some natural baits, such as worms or salmon eggs, and if the Powerbait action is slow, switch over to the natural baits.
Battle Ground Lake: Stocked with 2,000 RB at 1.96 per/lb on Jan. 13. Stocked with 3,000 RB at 2.5 per/lb. This is also a mostly bait lake. The baits listed above will also work here.
Kress Lake: Stocked with 57 steelhead so far in January. Stocked with 3,000 RB at 2.8 per/lb on Jan. 6. Powerbait, worms, and spinners work for the trout, which often hold near the boat launch for a week or so after stocking. Anglers take the steelhead on a wide variety of baits, including spinners, or spoons. The southwest corner of the lake is where many are taken.
Silver Lake: Stocked with 2,000 RB at 2.7 per/lb. While the lake is stocked with trout, they are mostly taken incidentally while anglers are targeting the crappie and yellow perch. The crappie are mostly taken with small plastic jigs fished a couple feet below a bobber, but small spinners sometimes work well.
Lewis River
The first spring Chinook was caught on the Lewis River last weekend, lending hope to fishers that it might be a good season. The river is running at about 3,000 CFS at the gauge below Merwin Dam. You can check the Lewis River gauge just below the Merwin dam here.
This is the last year that anglers can target the early returning Chambers Creek stock. The river has been switched over to the late returning steelhead stocks currently being used in the Cowlitz and Kalama rivers. The early returning stock tended to show in the late November, early December time frame. The late returning fish will be arriving in early January and peak in early March.
Cowlitz River
River conditions, hatchery returns as of January 12, 2026:
Last week, Tacoma Power employees recovered 298 Coho adults, two Coho jacks, and 149 winter-run Steelhead over five days of operations at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator.
River flow below Mayfield Dam is 10,700 cubic feet per second on Monday, January 12, 2026. Water visibility is 2 feet and water temperature is 44.8(F). River flows could change at any time so boaters and anglers should remain alert for this possibility.
Winter steelhead are beginning to arrive in the Cowlitz River, and although a few are being caught, this run is just getting starting. The run will build over the next two months, and will peak in early March.
Washougal River
This is the last year that the Washougal River will get a hatchery winter steelhead return, with the hatchery being closed by the state for very questionable reasons. So, get them while you can. Most of the public access is along the lower river, and can be accessed through the Washougal River Greenway. Boat anglers may have better options, especially if they have private access to a place to launch.
Salmon Creek, Rock Creek
These two smaller streams are also seeing the last return of hatchery winter steelhead. The fish stocked into these systems came from the Washougal Hatchery, and even though they are popular programs, they have been ended. Salmon Creek sees the most fishing pressure, with the Salmon Creek Park offering excellent access to a couple miles of water.