SW Washington fishing report
Drano Lake, Wind River springers over. Tributaries seeing more steelhead catches, springers improving. Swift Reservoir, Swift Power Canal trout stockings boost bite.
Best weekend bets
Tributary spring Chinook fair, but improving in most systems
Lewis River reopened for spring Chinook retention through July 31
Columbia River walleye bite remains very good
Tributary summer steelhead improving
Columbia River shad run picking up
Over 37,000 catchable rainbow trout stocked in Swift Reservoir
Goose Lake is getting strong trout plantings
Bass and panfish biting in local lakes
Weather
The woodland area will see hot, dry weather this week. Saturday through Monday the highs will be in the 90’s, with a cool down arriving on Tuesday. The rest of the week will see seasonal temperatures and sunny skies. Highs later in the week will dip into the 70’s.
Columbia River
Salmon
The river is open through the 15th for spring Chinook salmon and steelhead. During the most recent state survey, 410 salmonid boats and 526 Washington bank rods were tallied on the flight count Sunday, June 7. Catches were better for steelhead than Chinook, but some springers are being caught. The best spring Chinook bites were, again, up by Bonneville, and in the Kalama area. Steelhead were more active in the lower sections, below Longview.
Walleye
Wendy Boyer at the Gorge Outfitters Supply in Rufus said the walleye bite remains very good. Most of the fish are in 12 to 25 feet of water over gravel and rocky reefs. The best bite is coming on the worm harnesses, and that should continue to be the case going forward. Fishing guide Buddy Dupell of Columbia River Fishing Adventures also reports excellent fishing for walleyes, with catches often up to 20 walleye a day, or more.
Shad
Shad numbers continue to climb, and anglers are getting their share. In the latest creel surveys, anglers did the best below Bonneville and in the Kalama area. During the latest creel surveys, five bank anglers had no catch. No boat effort reported. As of Wednesday, June 10, shad numbers over Bonneville have climbed to 698,329, with daily counts topping 5,000. During the last creel, 24 bank anglers kept 59 and released five. 3 boats/7 rods kept 64 shad below Bonneville Dam.
Cowlitz River
Last week, Tacoma Power employees recovered seven Winter-run Steelhead, 368 Spring Chinook adults, 127 Spring Chinook jacks, and 29 Summer-run Steelhead over five days of operations at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator. As of Friday, June 5, 2026, Tacoma Power has recycled 215 Summer-run Steelhead and four Spring Chinook adults this season to the I-5 boat launch in Toledo.
Fishing guide Dave Mallahan reports fishing continues to be slow for spring Chinook, with the exception being the action below the barrier Dam. Steelhead catches are rising. During the latest state creel survey above the I-5 bridge, 128 bank anglers kept 19 Chinook, 16 jacks, one steelhead, and released five Chinook and one jack. 12 boats/43 rods kept four Chinook, one jack, nine steelhead and released one Chinook.
Lewis River
The river dropped recently, but is expected to rise again this week back into the 11-to-12-foot range. Fishing for hatchery Chinook salmon on the Lewis River reopened this week. The season is scheduled to run through July 31. According to a WDFW news release, the spring Chinook salmon returns to the Lewis Hatchery are projected to meet broodstock collection goals for the Lewis Hatchery programs. In the latest creel survey, no bank effort reported. 1 boat/2 rods released one steelhead.
You can check the river gauge near Woodland here.
Kalama River
Fishing slowed on the Kalama this week, probably due to low water. The river is not expected to rise anytime soon with the hot, dry weather on the way. The fishing pressure has also lessened as a result of the slower fishing. In the latest creel survey, five bank anglers had no catch. No boat effort reported.
Trout Stockings
You can check the WDFW trout stocking reports here.
Goose Lake
Goose Lake was stocked with 3,000 catchable rainbows at 2.5 per pound on May 27, and was also stocked with 2,000 catchable rainbows at 1.86 per pound. Also, on May 26, 6,000 catchable rainbows at 2.4 per pound were stocked into the lake. These stockings boost what has become a favored high-elevation trout fishing hotspot. Anglers can take trout at Goose Lake by trolling dodgers and the plug-cut type plastic baits, tossing flies, fishing bait from the bank, or throwing spinners.
Swift Power Canal 2100 rainbows at 1.54 per pound were stocked into the canal on June 8
Mayfield Lake Stocked with 3,732 rainbows at 1.8 per pound on June 3
Spearfish Lake in Klickitat County was stocked with 3,000 rainbows at 2.2 per pound on June 3