SW Washington fishing this week
Drano Lake, Wind River springers slowing. Mainstem Columbia above Bonneville open for springers Monday. Goose Lake gets first trout stockings.
Best weekend bets
Columbia River mainstem open for springers above Bonneville Monday.
Drano Lake, Wind River springer bite slows
Tributary spring Chinook fair to poor in tributaries
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 active in local lakes
Weather
The Woodland area will see highs in the 70’s this weekend, with mostly sunny skies. Monday brings clouds and showers, and the rest of the week will see partly cloudy skies with highs in the 60’s.
Columbia River
Springers
Anglers will see an additional day of mainstem Columbia River Spring Chinook fishing from Bonneville Dam to the Oregon/Washington border on Monday, Memorial Day, May 25. They are also able to fish it this Friday, May 22. Anglers got one more final day below the dam this Friday, May 22. During the most recent creel survey, anglers below Bonneville dam did fairly well, with the best bite coming up near the dam itself.
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.
No report on walleye below Bonneville Dam.
Cowlitz River
Last week, Tacoma Power employees recovered 44 Winter-run Steelhead, 851 Spring Chinook adults, 106 Spring Chinook jacks, and 45 Summer-run Steelhead over five days of operations at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator.
The river will remain open for spring Chinook through July. Fishing for spring chinook remains slow in the Cowlitz, according to Fishing Guide Dave Mallahan (360-201-9313). Anglers are finding a tough bite, even though the fish are returning in good numbers to the hatchery. Over 800 springers returned to the trap this past week, but catches were very low. In the latest creel survey above the I-5 Bridge, 42 bank anglers kept only one Chinook. 2 boats/6 rods kept two Chinook. Below the bridge, 17 bank anglers had no catch. 17 boats/35 rods kept eight Chinook, one jack and released one steelhead.
Mayfield Lake
The reservoir was stocked with 5, 200 catchable rainbows at 2.60 per pound on April 9. It was also stocked with 4,200 catchable rainbows at 2.4 per pound on May 5. Fishing conditions remain very good, with good clarity and warming waters, especially with the warmer weather.
Merwin Lake
Kokanee fishing is still good, and the fish are growing well. The weekend weather forecasts partly sunny skies this weekend, which might push the fish lower in the water column. Showery weather expected this Monday may bring them up. Use your electronics to find the right depth. The fish are taking trolled kokanee spinners tipped with kokanee corn and fished behind dodgers. For now, flat-line trolling is still best, but angler should be ready to use deeper methods since the schools are now moving deeper in the water column.
Drano Lake
The springer fishing is slowing, according to Dave Mallahan of Daves Guide Service (360) 201-9313. His latest report was of poor fishing, even though springers are still being caught. In the latest state creels, 16 bank anglers kept five Chinook. 87 boats/314 rods kept 188 Chinook, three jacks, one steelhead and released one Chinook and one steelhead. With the bite slowing, fewer anglers are fishing here, easing the crowding. While the action has been best in the Toilet Bowl, a few have been taken in the main lake, mostly early in the morning.
Trout stocking
You can check the WDFW trout stocking reports here.
Little Klickitat River
The river was stocked with 750 catchable rainbows at 2.5 per pound on May 18.
Little White Salmon River
The river was stocked with 3,000 catchable rainbows at 2.5 per pound on May 18.
Horsethief Lake
Was stocked with 3,000 catchable rainbows at 2.5 per pound on May 13.
Battle Ground Lake
The lake was stocked with 3,000 catchable rainbows at 2.6 per pound on May 12.
Goose Lake
The popular lake was stocked with 3,000 catchable rainbows at 2.4 per pound on May 11.