SW Washington fishing report
Tributary steelhead, Chinook slowing. Mainstem Columbia slowing for salmon and steelhead, sockeye run disappointing. Trout, panfish good in local lakes.
Best weekend bets
Tributary spring Chinook fair, but slowing in Cowlitz and Kalama.
Lewis River reopened for spring Chinook retention, although fishing is slow
Columbia River walleye bite remains very good
Tributary summer steelhead improving
Shad run: over 2 million cross Bonneville Dami, shad spread up to McNary Dam
Swift Reservoir, power canal trout good
Goose Lake trout bite good, stockings continue
Bass and panfish biting in local lakes
Weather
Cooler weather is expected, with highs in the 60’s this weekend and through next week. Rain and showers will prevail through Tuesday, with a slight chance through the rest of the week. It is not expected to rain enough to lift the larger river systems.
Columbia River
Walleye
The good folks at the Gorge Outfitters Supply in Rufus report that the walleye bite still continues to be very good for eating-sized fish. The schools are still holding from 12 to about 30 feet. The best bite is still coming on the worm harnesses, which is the most effective method for summer walleyes.
Shad
Almost 2.5 million shad have crossed over Bonneville, and the fishing has spread up to the McNary dam. Shad darts, Dick Nite Spoons, and small jigs are working. In the latest creel survey, 8 bank anglers kept 26 shad. 2 boats/4 rods kept 53 shad below Bonneville. In the Kalama area, 4 boats/8 rods had no catch.
Chinook/steelhead
From the Lower Columbia River, Rocky Point/Tongue Point line upstream to Bonneville Dam, 100 salmonid boats and 418 Washington bank rods were tallied on the flight count Saturday, June 20. Bank fishing below Bonneville slowed this past week, and even down in Kalama the steelhead bite also slowed. The recent hot weather may have been to blame.
Cowlitz River
Last week, Tacoma Power employees recovered one Winter-run Steelhead, 446 Spring Chinook adults, 174 Spring Chinook jacks, 31 Spring Chinook mini jacks, and 91 Summer-run Steelhead over four days of operations at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator.
As of Thursday, June 18, 2026, Tacoma Power has recycled 302 Summer-run Steelhead and five Spring Chinook adults this season to the I-5 boat launch in Toledo.
River flows below Mayfield Dam were 3,610 cubic feet per second on Monday, June 22, 2026. Water visibility is 10 feet and water temperature is 52.5 (F). River flows could change at any time so boaters and anglers should remain alert for this possibility.
Fishing slowed a little on the Cowlitz this past week, although bank anglers are still getting decent numbers of Chinook below the Barrier Dam, and boat anglers below Blue Creek are still getting some steelhead. In the latest WDFW creel survey above the I-5 Bridge, 44 bank anglers kept nine Chinook, four jacks, one steelhead, and released one Chinook, three jacks, and one steelhead. 25 boats/107 rods kept one Chinook and 20 steelhead. The Chinook are mostly being caught by fishing salmon eggs or other bait below a bobber. Other methods that can work include 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.
Merwin Reservoir
Kokanee fishing remains very good, although the hot weather drove the schools deeper last week. With the rains expected this week, anglers should expect the fish to move a little shallower. However, flat-line trolling will not fish deep enough. Angers now need divers, lead, or down riggers to reach the schools. Use your electronics to find the right depth. The fish are taking trolled hoochies or kokanee spinners tipped with kokanee corn and fished behind dodgers. The kokes continue to grow well, with fish to the 14-imch range at times.
For a much quieter experience, anglers can target Yale Lake. The fish are a bit smaller, but the competition is far less. The same methods take fish here as work in Merwin.
Trout Stockings
You can check the WDFW trout stocking reports here.
Takhlakh Lake
Takhlakh Lake is in Skamania County, and is located northeast of Mount Adams. It was stocked with 3,000 catchable rainbows at 2.5 per pound, 100 brooder rainbows at 0.12 per pound, and 100 brooder rainbows at 0.33 per pound. The lake also has brown and brook trout. Both fly and gear anglers do well here.