First off, thank you to our Vets! We appreciate you.
In SW Washington fishing this week, lakes and rivers are mostly consisting of blown out water from a very rainy recent weekend. Late run Coho are still around though to say it has been a disappointing year is an understatement, reports show that Kokanee in Merwin has started to pick up again.
REMINDER, please verify the regulations before fishing any body of water. AND wear a life jacket.
Lewis Report
The river is running HIGH and FAST at 9,000 CFS and is fairly hard to fish currently. Chinook fishing has died down and I haven’t heard of anyone getting any recently, Coho has seriously struggled still as the B run has just not shown up compared to recent years. If you go out, please be cautious as river levels can change within a matter of minutes. Creel reports are scary low as last year there were 60 rods 70-80 fish being caught at this time of year and this year it’s sixty bank rods kept twelve coho and three coho jacks. One boat/1 rod had no catch.
Kalama Report
The Kalama is like most other rivers running chocolate brown very blown out. I drove up the river Monday 11/6/23 and did not see anyone around. Kalama River – 14 bank rods had no catch.
Cowlitz Report
Last week, Tacoma Power employees recovered 2,208 coho adults, 1,059 coho jacks, 25 fall Chinook adults, four fall Chinook jacks, 32 summer-run steelhead adults, and 291 cutthroat trout over seven days of operations at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator.
During the past week, Tacoma Power employees released 417 coho adults and 443 coho jacks at Franklin Bridge in Packwood and they released 735 coho adults, 289 coho jacks, and three cutthroat trout into Lake Scanewa at Scanewa Day Use Park.
The river flow below Mayfield Dam is 3,640 cubic feet per second on Monday, November 6, 2023. The water visibility is eleven feet and the water temperature is 54.3 F. Ian was driving past the river and stopped to look and said it was chocolate brown and blown out.
Cowlitz River I-5 Br downstream – 25 bank rods kept two coho jacks. 3 boats/4 rods had no catch.
Cowlitz River Above the I-5 Br – 24 bank rods kept one coho, one coho jack and released two Chinook and four coho jacks. 5 boats/12 rods kept one coho, one coho jack and released one Chinook and one coho.
Washougal Report
The water is extremely high but is recovering quickly, Griffin Soule is still getting Coho even at these high-water conditions though he is having to find back eddies and slower water. Chum salmon are starting to show and are easily seen in the shallow water, please leave them alone as they are endangered on this river.
Klickitat Report
During this weekend as the river was actively rising a coworker was at the river and said there was a steady bite, but he had to really work for the fish he caught as he only landed two in 6 hours of fishing. The river is most likely blown out as well as surrounding areas received almost four inches of rain this last week.
Klickitat River below Fisher Hill Bridge – Five bank rods had no catch.
Klickitat River above #5 Fishway – No report.
Columbia River
Few are braving the weather this week to fish the Columbia for coho and very few are having success, the only ones having success are sticking near mouths of the tributaries.
No creel reports for this week.
Drano Lake
Very few fish are around anymore but there is still some success. Creek reports show, 2 boats/6 rods kept two coho and released one coho.
Warm Water Lakes and Ponds
Water temperatures continue to decrease, and trout are starting to bite closer to the surface on spinners and flies. Bass and panfish fishing has decreased massively and I have not seen any reports in recent days.
Merwin Lake
Kokanee have started to pick up again which is pleasantly surprising, they have risen back up in the water column and people are finding fish 20 feet down on their downriggers or 160 to 180 feet back with no weight. Though I haven’t seen the lake in recent days it could be brown or off colored.
Ilwaco and Long Beach
After October 31, 2023, the next digs are scheduled to begin on November 12th. Final approval of marine toxin testing usually occurs about a week or less – sometimes two to three days – prior to the start of each digging series. Below are additional tentative dates:
Nov. 12, Sunday, 5:53 p.m.; -0.3 feet; Mocrocks
Nov. 13, Monday, 6:30 p.m.; -0.7 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
Nov. 14, Tuesday, 7:09 p.m.; -0.9 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
Nov. 15, Wednesday, 7:51 p.m.; -0.9 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
Nov. 16, Thursday, 8:37 p.m.; -0.8 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
Nov. 17, Friday, 9:27 p.m.; -0.5 feet; Copalis
Nov. 18, Saturday, 10:22 p.m.; -0.1 feet; Mocrocks
There is A LOT more for SW Washington Members here. And SW Washington members can find our complete Columbia River reports here.
Read this week’s Oregon fishing report.