Lewis Report – The Lewis is still flowing at 2,700 again this week, and the low water has put a real damper on this week’s Chinook fishing. As of 4/30/25, Chinook fishing is closed!
I fished on Saturday, 4/25/25, with not so much as a bite while fishing for both chinook and steelhead. Smolts were a massive problem this week due to the low water and them not leaving the system. We didn’t see or hear of a fish caught on Saturday, and we talked with around ten boats and a bank full of anglers. No plans for a season extension have been talked about yet.
Kalama Report – Kalama flows have come all the way down to summer lows with a serious lack of rain through April and into May. I talked with a number of both boat and bank anglers this week, and the fishing has been very slow. There have been fish being caught up and down the river, but nothing of consistency. Alex Hoang fished Sunday, 4/27/25, and went one for one on the day, not landing another fish. Shawn Chase also spent some time on the river Saturday, 4/26/25, and landed a wild steelhead and lost another.
Cowlitz Report- Last week, Tacoma Power employees recovered 123 winter-run steelhead adults, 308 spring Chinook adults, 40 spring Chinook jacks, five summer-run steelhead, and one cutthroat trout over five days of operations at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator. During the past week, Tacoma Power employees released 22 winter-run steelhead, 132 spring Chinook adults, and 28 spring Chinook jacks into Lake Scanewa near Randle, and they released six winter-run steelhead, 68 spring Chinook adults, and nine spring Chinook jacks into the Cispus River near Yellowjacket Creek. Tacoma Power employees released eight winter-run steelhead and one cutthroat trout into the Tilton River at Bremer Bridge. In addition, they released two winter-run steelhead at Gust Backstrom Park in Morton. River flow below Mayfield Dam is 5,060 cubic feet per second on Wednesday, April 30, 2025.
Drano Lake and Wind River – Drano Lake is the place to be this week in SW Washington with limits coming left and right, and it’s not if you catch one but when daily. Trolling has been by far the most effective as the boats seem to be raking in the fish by the handfuls with several triples and dozens of doubles being reported all weekend long. The Wind has been successful, too, as both trolling and bobber fishing have been working well, but the weather has not yet been cooperating, and the winds over the last two weeks have caused massive waves, hindering the trolling efforts. I fished here Sunday, 4/26/25, and we went one for three, along with seeing several bank anglers and trollers hooking into plenty of fish.
Merwin and Yale Lake – Merwin has been fishing great this week, and the rumors of the bi-annual turnover have all but gone quiet. Limits are being had left and right, and most anglers are walking away with at least close to a limit. Water temps are hovering around 54 degrees, and the early morning bite has been fantastic, with people reporting every rod having a fish on at times.
Local lakes and ponds – Lakes have opened this week all across the state as WDFW gets ready to finish stocking trout through the month of May for most lakes in 2025! Check here for the derby info!
Lacamas has been packed over the last few weeks with anglers catching a ton of trout off the docks at the south end of the lake and round lake starting to produce as well. Powerbait, mouse tails, and worms have all been working pretty good this week with worms being mostly fished under a bobber. No signs of warm water species yet but I did see a few bass boats roaming around Sunday evening when I stopped by.
Stay fishy,
Seth Kolshinski
Read this week’s Oregon fishing report.