by Seth Kolshinski
Ian Carter is stepping away from the weekly SW Washington fishing report and Seth Kolshinski is coming on board to help fill the gap. We’ve appreciated Ian’s reporting and dedication to the work and look forward to his occasional return. On to the report…
SW Washington fishing has been disappointing to say the least. With recent weather some rivers are running low and starting to warm. Windy days are also putting a huge hindrance on fishing. Local lakes are continuing to gain attention and Merwin is still producing as the water warms.
REMINDER, please verify the regulations before fishing any body of water. AND wear a life jacket.
Lewis Report
Flows dropped again on Saturday to a calm 2,800 cfs under ideal but the river is in
excellent shape. Angling pressure was slow Wednesday afternoon with only two people fishing at cedar creek and no boats. Chinook returns are way down from the previous week.
Kalama Report
The Kalama hatchery saw the best return of Chinook with reports of the water being very low and slow.
Cowlitz Report
Last week, Tacoma Power employees recovered 175 spring Chinook adults, 32 spring Chinook jacks, two winter-run steelhead adults, and 37 summer-run steelhead adults. This was over four days of operations at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator.
During the past week, Tacoma Power employees released 84 spring Chinook adults and three spring Chinook jacks at Franklin Bridge in Packwood.
Washougal Report
The Washougal water levels are low at 300 cfs. Summer steelhead are yet to show.
Drano Lake and Wind River
With Chinook still going over the dam there are fish stopping through, but fishing hasn’t been good.
Warm Water Lakes and Ponds
Fisherman Beckham Schil reported bass are biting in his local lakes and trout are still taking spinners.
There is A LOT more for SW Washington Members here. And members can find our complete Columbia River reports here.
Read this week’s Oregon fishing report.