SW Washington fishing report
Tributaries seeing more steelhead catches, springers still fair to good. Swift Reservoir, Swift Power Canal trout stockings boost bite. Columbia sockeye on the way.
Best weekend bets
Tributary spring Chinook fair, but improving in most systems
Lewis River reopened for spring Chinook retention through July 31
Columbia River walleye bite remains very good
Tributary summer steelhead improving
Shad run: over 1.5 million cross Bonneville Dam
Over 39,000 catchable rainbow trout stocked in Swift Reservoir
Goose Lake trout bite good, stockings continue
Bass and panfish biting in local lakes
Weather
The high on Saturday is expected to be 74 with sunny weather. Then the temos get hotter, peaking early in the week over 90. The weather will stay sunny, with no rain in the forecast, and highs in the lower 80’s to upper 70’s for the rest of the week.
Columbia River
Walleye
The good folks at the Gorge Outfitters Supply in Rufus report that the walleye bite continues to be very good for eating-sized fish, with a good bite recently just below the John Day Dam. The schools are still holding from 12 feet to about 30 feet. The best bite is still coming on the worm harnesses, which is the most effective method for summer walleyes.
Chinook/steelhead
From the Lower Columbia River, Rocky Point/Tongue Point line upstream to Bonneville Dam, 387 salmonid boats and 356 Washington bank rods were tallied on the flight count Saturday, June 13. Catches were best, once again, below Bonneville Dam, and in the Kalama area. The best steelhead catches were in the lower river, below Longview.
Steelhead remains open, and on the 23rd, the river will open for sockeye.
Cowlitz River
There has been no change in the fishing in the Cowlitz. Fishing is improving for steelhead. The best bite has been for the bank anglers who gather up by the Barrier Dam for Chinook. In the latest creel survey above the I-5 bridge, 83 bank anglers kept 26 Chinook, 18 jacks, one steelhead and released three Chinook. 17 boats/66 rods kept one Chinook, 33 steelhead and released one Chinook and two steelhead. Most bank anglers are fishing salmon eggs or other baits below a bobber. Boat anglers are doing the same, and they are bobber-dogging as well.
Below the bridge fishing is much slower. 54 bank anglers kept one jack. No boat effort reported in the latest creel.
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.
Lewis River
The river was raised to a little over the 12-foot mark recently, but is expected to slide down to the 11-to-12-foot range again. Even though the river was reopened to fishing for springers, the action has been slow. In the last creel survey, four bank anglers had no catch. 2 boats/4 rods had no catch.
Fishing pressure has remained low, and catches are poor.
Trout Stockings
You can check the WDFW trout stocking reports here.
Goose Lake
The lake was stocked with 3,000 rainbow trout at 2.3 per pound on June 10. These stockings boost what has become a favored high-elevation trout fishing hotspot. Anglers can take trout at Goose Lake by trolling dodgers and the plug-cut type plastic baits, tossing flies, fishing bait from the bank, or throwing spinners.
Mayfield Reservoir
The lake was stocked with 1,764 rainbows at 1.75 per pound and 1,900 rainbows at 1.91 on June 10.
Swift Power Canal
The canal was stocked with 2,100 rainbows at 1.54 per pound on June 8. This is mostly a Powerbait fishery, with most anglers employing the bait just off the bottom. Spinners will also work, especially when the trout have just been planted.
Wind River, Drano Lake
The springer fishing in both systems is over, and the last creels saw little fishing pressure and no catches.
Klickitat River
The most recent creel surveys did not find any anglers, but the summer steelhead run will begin in earnest soon.
Columbia River Causeway Lakes
Bass and panfish are biting well in the many lakes created by the railroad and Highway 14 causeways. Look for bass along the rocky shorelines, and panfish along the sandy shores. Good waters include Grant Lake, Tunnel Lake, and North Rowland Lake. Remember that most of these lakes will develop blue-green algae sometime in July, which will not affect the fish, but is a threat to humans and especially dogs.