This week in SW Washington after several weeks of rain and even more rain the weather has finally broken and the rivers are coming down. Steelhead continues to be good as anglers are finding a fish or two per person in some of the early returning tributaries. Later returning tributaries are just starting to see an early few steelhead being caught. Merwin has slowed but is still providing limits to those who put in the extra time it has taken to get it. Razor clam digs are approved for this week!
Sorry for the lack of report last week I got hit with a nasty virus and was pretty much unable to do anything!
REMINDER, please verify the regulations before fishing any body of water. AND wear a life jacket.
Lewis Report The Lewis River came down to 8,200 cfs from 10,000 cfs which is finally down to a level where I like to fish. I stopped by the golf course on Sunday afternoon and there were a few trailers in the lot and a few anglers plunking just downriver from the boat launch with none having any luck, when I stopped by, flows were near 12k and there wasn’t much of an area to plunk from though. Fishing near the hatchery has been productive according to Damien at Anglers Unlimited while it hasn’t been lights out most anglers who have stuck it out long enough near the hatchery have pulled one out.
Kalama Report Flows are down to 550 from 900 cfs this last weekend. I spent some time at a friend’s house Saturday morning who lives right on the Kalama River and on my way up I talked to several drift boats that were launching in the rain. Most had told stories of the previous weekend being off the charts and hoping for similar results. The general consensus that evening was that it was the opposite of off the charts and I only received one report from trusted reporter. Shawn Chase of hooked fish where he went 0-2 from the bank. Boat anglers blamed the water color as the river was quickly rising and turning color as the rain just came bucketing down throughout the day.
Cowlitz Report Last week, Tacoma Power employees recovered 241 coho adults, 35 coho jacks, two summer-run steelhead, one cutthroat trout, and 25 winter-run steelhead adults over four days of operations at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator. During the past week, Tacoma Power employees released 148 coho adults, 14 coho jacks, and one winter-run steelhead into Lake Scanewa while 51 coho adults and one coho jack were released at Franklin Bridge in Packwood. Additionally, they released 35 coho adults, 19 coho jacks, and four winter-run steelhead into the Tilton River at Bremer Bridge. The river flow below Mayfield Dam is 8,660 cubic feet per second on Monday, January 6, 2025.
Washougal River The Washougal is back down to around 1,200 cfs this week from the nearly 4,000 cfs peak it reached over the last weekend. Fishing had been slow before the rain but seemingly really picked up after the water started coming down. A few locals that I connected with fished on Monday and Tuesday of this week with almost every one of them at least hooking a fish if not taking one home. I plan to drift the river this coming weekend so I will have an in-person report as well as anyone I will talk to next week!
Elochoman River The Elochoman finally came back into shape on Tuesday 1/7/24 according to reporter Even Shmitd who drove up Monday to a chocolate colored river and spent around an hour before giving up and coming back the next day where the river had turned dark green and very fishable. He hooked into three fish but didn’t land one. He reported that near the hatchery was very hot in the morning where there were around ten anglers fishing and there was a fish hooked every 20 minutes or so. Owen Corbett fished Saturday 1/5/24 as the water was coming up and they really got into him as he went two for five in a matter of four hours along with his friend who went one for four in the same time frame.
Merwin and Yale Lake Merwin is launchable although low still at 230ft so be very cautious when launching your boat as it is still possible to drive the trailer off the end of the ramp. The fishing has been nowhere near on fire as it has been, a grind for almost every report I have received. This is even though limits are still being had especially for the Merwin knowers like Joe Adams and Daniel Schneider. They had their limits before lunch though that was not the case for many other anglers who grinded it out until nearly two or three in the afternoon before the final kokanee hit the ice box.
Long Beach Another week of razor clamming is approved for the dates listed below! Unfortunately, I couldn’t connect with anyone on the surf perch side of things this week but I know of some people heading out this weekend so I should have a few reports for next week!
Jan 10, Friday, 3:47 p.m.; -0.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
Jan 11, Saturday, 4:39 p.m.; -0.8 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
Jan 12, Sunday, 5:27 p.m.; -1.0 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
Jan 13, Monday, 6:10 p.m.; -1.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
Jan 14, Tuesday, 6:50 p.m.; -0.9 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
Jan 15, Wednesday, 7:28 p.m.; -0.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
Jan 16, Thursday, 8:03 p.m.; -0.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
Stay fishy,
Seth Kolshinski
Read this week’s Oregon fishing report.