Late Steelhead runs beginning to peak, and rains may bring rivers up. Trout lakes boosted by steelhead, catchable trout plants. Silver Lake panfish excellent.
Best bets for weekend fishing
Late run steelhead bite in Cowlitz, Kalama Rivers spotty
Silver Lake crappie, yellow perch rated excellent
Lowland trout lakes boosted by surplus steelhead, catchable rainbows
Last call for Washougal River, Salmon Creek, and Rock Creek winters
Columbia River walleye biting in The Dalles and John Day pools
Spring Chinook to start showing in the Columbia and tributaries in March
Weather
Showers Saturday will turn into heavy rain on Sunday and Monday. Showery weather will continue through next week. Highs will be in the 40’s, with overnight lows in the 40’s this weekend and down into the 30’s during the week.
Columbia River
Bank anglers are plunking for steelhead in the lower Columbia, but no report on angler success. Walleye fishing slowed this past week and fewer anglers were out chasing them due to difficult weather. Recent catches have included some trophy sized female walleye. A Pasco angler landed a new Washington state walleye record with a fish over 20 pounds a few weeks ago.
Bonneville Pool sturgeon
The one-day sturgeon retention fishery in the Bonneville Pool was mostly a success, if nothing else because the quota was not busted in the one-day event. However, with anglers retaining 982 keeper sturgeon of the 1,250-catch guideline, it is unlikely that anglers will get another day of retention in the pool.
Prospects for another day are better in The Dalles Pool, since only 50 sturgeon were caught. That leaves another 200 fish in the quota that could be caught in the pool.
A decision on whether angers will get more time should be announced by the states today.
Cowlitz River
Last week, Tacoma Power employees recovered 73 Coho adults and 323 winter-run Steelhead over five days of operations at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator.
River flows below Mayfield Dam were 5,670 cubic feet per second on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. Water visibility is 7 feet and water temperature is 40.3(F). River flows could change at any time so boaters and anglers should remain alert for this possibility.
Get information about river flows and lake levels at MyTPU.org/LakeLevels.
Anglers continue to catch winter steelhead in the upper Cowlitz, although Dave Mallahan of Daves Guide service (360) 201-9313, reports that the bite has been spotty, with catches one day excellent, and the next day poor. Low water in the river has not been conducive to consistent angling, but the river was raised recently, and is expected to rise more this week.
You can check the river gauge at Mayfield Lake here.
Mallahan and most other boat anglers are fishing the first few miles below Blue Creek. Bobber-dogging is the method most boat anglers are employing. Bank anglers are fishing bobbers with beads, jigs, or bait. There is some good water near the mouth of the creek where drifting works well.
The lower river has been a bit low for good plunking, but it is expected to rise this week. You can check the Cowlitz river Guage at castle rock here. Punkers have been fishing with coon shrimp and spin-n-glos. No report on angler success.
Lewis River
The river has good flow right now, with average flows near Woodland running at about 13 feet. The wild winter steelhead is building toward the peak. The hatchery run is over. While a few wild fish are caught near the hatchery at Woodland, these fish are spread through the entire river. Bobber methods are the favorite method for bank anglers, but drifting or hardware can work in the faster sections. Boat anglers can also try pulling plugs.
You can check the gauge at Woodland here. You can check the river gauge at Ariel here.
Lake Merwin
The Kokanee fishing continues to improve. The fish are also gaining in size. Look for the schools to be near the surface on cloudy days, and a little deeper when it is sunny. Most anglers are trolling dodgers with kokanee rings tipped with corn. Some anglers are finding success by jigging.
Salmon Creek
Steelheading has improved over the last week as the runs have built toward the peak. Much of the creek is perfect for bobber techniques, with beads and jigs good bets. A few areas lend themselves to fishing with hardware, and pink or purple Maglips will often take fish, too. This is the last year for hatchery returns to the creek, although a few 3-salt hatchery fish may be around next year.