SW Washington fishing report
Rivers, lakes blown out, larger rivers will stay high. Smaller systems a better bet. Inflows trash some trout lakes. Tough week ahead, again, for most fisheries.
Best bets for weekend fishing
Silver Lake crappie, yellow perch still rated excellent, but soon to end
Lowland trout lakes fishing rated fair to good
Last call for Washougal River, Salmon Creek, and Rock Creek winters
Columbia River walleye bite very good, and may be the week’s best bet
Columbia steelhead, Springers still poor
Weather
The weather in SW Washington is expected to be warm and dry for the weekend, before turning showery and cooler mid-week. This should ease the flooding of the rivers, which are in terrible shape right now. The showers forecast for mid-week are unlikely to be heavy enough to lift the rivers again. Once the waters drop there should be steelhead available in most systems, with the peak of the late runs arriving now.
Columbia River
The good folks at the Gorge Outfitters Supply in Rufus report that the walleye fishing continues to be very good, with anglers finding the fish in a broad range of depths. They can now be found from 30 to 90 feet of water, over rocky reefs and gravel areas. Some large females continue to show in the catch. Remember, a 20 plus pound walleye was caught in the McNary Pool, and a 17-pound walleye and other big ones have been taken in the lower pools. Bottom walkers and deep-diving plugs have been very effective. Jigging can also bring action in the shallower areas, about 30 feet.
Cowlitz River
Last week, Tacoma Power employees recovered 584 winter-run Steelhead, three spring Chinook, one cutthroat trout, and two Coho adults over five days of operations at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator. River flows below Mayfield Dam were 13,300 cubic feet per second on Monday, March 16, 2026. Water visibility is 5 feet and water temperature is 43.5 (F). River flows could change at any time so boaters and anglers should remain alert for this possibility.
You can check the Cowlitz River gauge below the Mayfield Dam here. The Cowlitz at Castle Rock is currently running at 39 feet, after hitting minor flood stage at 48 feet a couple days ago. At Kelso, the Cowlitz is running at 17.9 feet, after hitting almost moderate flooding at 23.5 feet.
In the latest creel survey below the I-5 Bridge, 106 bank anglers kept five steelhead and released two steelhead. 2 boats/4 rods had no catch. In the river above the I-5 Bridge, 60 bank anglers kept nine steelhead. 24 boats/96 rods kept 55 steelhead.
Fishing Guide Dave Mallahan (360-201-9313) reports that the river is turning dirtier, and the visibility is much lower than the 5 feet reported by Tacoma Power earlier in the week. He also said the fishing is tough, and his latest trip only landed one steelhead. He further reported that Mayfield Lake is turning the color of chocolate milk, and is unlikely to clear
Lewis River
The Lewis River rose nearly to actions stage last Saturday, and topped out at 22 feet. It has since dropped to 17.7 feet, and should be at about 14.5 feet by Sunday. However, the river is dirty and filled with leaves and other debris, and will probably stay that way through the weekend at least. At that level, boating is difficult and should only be attempted by anglers with experience with high flows on this river.
In the latest creel survey, two bank anglers had no catch. 2 boats/11 rods released five steelhead.
Kalama River
This mid-sized river has run over its banks lately, but it will drop into condition faster than the larger systems. During the latest creel survey, 11 bank anglers kept one steelhead. No boat effort was reported. High water has made floating the river difficult, although bank anglers have been fishing the river. There have been no recent reports of spring Chinook being encountered, but it is still early. Bobber methods have been the favorite technique.