While walleye an smallmouth bass are big-time targets farther up the river, they are lesser factors in the fishing in these lower reaches. Steelhead also come up the Columbia, with both summer and winter runs using it as their freeway to smaller tributaries as far upstream as Idaho. The North Fork’s winter steelhead runs often peak in December around the holidays and continue to offer fair (sometimes good) fishing into January. True, the Kalama isn’t what it used to be (what local salmon and steelhead river is?). Fly Fishing the Cowlitz River. Merrill has been planted with a variety of trout through the years, including rainbows and browns that grow to pretty good size. That’s not to say you won’t catch those warmwater species in addition to largemouth bass, crappie and other panfish. Price: 2 Anglers $400.00 / 3 – 6 Anglers $175.00 each Reserve Your Spot Coho… During the warmer months, you’ll find fair to good fishing for bass and panfish species. You also can launch a small boat, kayak, canoe and certainly a float tube, but know that gas motors are strictly prohibited here. Just think a bit smaller, Holowatz says. Most people access the lake from the Cougar side, although come up the Kalama is a rougher option. Cowlitz River Fishing. The lower Columbia River bordering Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties is most enthusiastically fished for salmon, especially the runs of Chinook salmon that come up the big river, both those turning into tributaries and those on their way farther upriver. Best salmon catches were in October. Fall Chinook overlap with often bigger runs of coho, although the latter “silvers” typically are migrating upriver a bit better by October. Toutle River. This tributary of the very lower Cowlitz River, flowing alongside Kelso on the way, can produce a modest number (sometimes just a few dozen) marked steelhead in a winter season. 96%. Dated 10/5/20. Clark County: To the south, lower Columbia River salmon, sturgeon and walleye plus nicely stocked trout and bass lakes. These days, there tends to be enough smelt to dip only during years of relative abundance. See our listing above and the fishing opportunities are similar for both counties. It’s a little more than a half hour’s drive east on Highway 503 from Woodland at Interstate 5. Both reproduce naturally to help repopulate the lake. Please subscribe to the Lunker’s Guide today! In the week of December 14th 2020 at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator, following on from 5 days of operations. Other information: On the Cowlitz River, the trout daily limit is 5 fish, no more than 3 over 20". January through March or April are likely your best trout-fishing months. Spring chinook fishing peaks in May. Conventional angling techniques are banned here, and also you must release everything you catch, which could include several kinds of trout. The spring Chinook returns have been somewhat depressed in recent years, but some are available and these are a highly prize hatchery-bred fish. They released 17 coho adults, two coho jacks, three winter-run steelhead, and two cutthroat trout into to the Cispus River near Yellowjacket Creek and they released 38 coho adults, six coho jacks, and four winter-run steelhead at Franklin Bridge in Packwood. You can even do pretty well for summer-runs in September and October, when the majority will be upstream closer to the hatchery rather than below Modrow Bridge. Some months provide anglers an opportunity to catch a grand slam. The fall Chinook run is the largest in numbers of all, and the fish aren’t bad size either, with some going 30 pounds or better. While the winter run isn’t fished much at all in the big river (the tributaries are the place for that), summer steelhead are caught in moderate numbers during June and July, including off beach areas in these two counties. This 3,600-acre reservoir on the North Fork Lewis River is primarily fished for kokanee. From Barrier Dam down, the river winds through tall timber and lush landscapes on its way to the trout hatchery at Blue Creek. The middle section of the North Fork is noteworthy by its series of dams forming Merwin Lake and Yale Lake bordering Cowlitz County, as well as Swift Reservoir upriver in Skamania County. The sound of LARGE fish rolling and jumping makes the adrenaline flow. Locals might hate us for saying this, but Silver Lake is also the best bass lake less than a two-hour drive from the Portland-Vancouver area. This article also will talk about the best fishing spots near Cathlamet and other locations in neighboring Wahkiakum County, one of state’s smallest counties both by population and size located just down the Columbia River and within a short drive from Longview and elsewhere in Southwest Washington. A small stream entering the Columbia River in western Cowlitz County, home to the Abernathy Fish Technology Center, Abernathy has a modest and mostly catch-and-release fisheries for trout, steelhead and salmon. A few years ago, there were a few dozen Chinook tagged and a bit more coho (the latter mostly in the West Fork). Until March 31, … This short stream entering the Columbia River by the community of the same name has been known to put out a few steelhead for a mostly local contingent of anglers. If you’re looking for a different kind of fishing experience, or maybe you just want to bring home a stringer of trout along with your salmon catch, Cowlitz sea-run cutthroat trout should be on your mind (and hopefully on your dinner plate). While the landlocked resident coastal cutthroat can be found in dozens of lakes throughout Washington, the sea-run cutthroat moves between the river and ocean, much like salmon and steelhead. Check current regulations carefully and release wild salmon and steelhead, which will be what you are most likely to catch, other than rare strays. Falling in Love? Only fish with a clipped adipose fin can be kept; release all wild rainbows and wild cutthroat. By October most of the action is farther upriver or in coastal bays. Salmon runs are highly cyclical, so when these fish return to abundance, the Lewis will be one of the places to reliably catch them. The trout now reproduce naturally here. This river system is located in northern Cowlitz County and is a major tributary of the Cowlitz River. Yale has a moderate number of trout that drop in from tributaries, primarily coastal cutthroat trout. This is Southwest Washington’s premier warmwater lake and one of the best spots to catch big largemouth bass in Washington and the Pacific Northwest. Draining the slopes of Mt. DATED 10/1/20 Hildegard Pistor with a Brown Trout from Hebgen Reservoir. The catches of summer fish tend to ramp up in June, peak in July and maintain a decent level into August and early September. Adams and Mt. Because it has runs of steelhead, coho and cutthroat, the Cowlitz can be a pretty good fly fishing river. Speaking of colder months, WDFW tends to dump in thousands of hatchery trout, typically during the winter only. Satisfied customers. While some of the most productive (and crowded) spots for salmon and steelhead are in Lewis County, the salmon and steelhead also are caught migrating through the lower two dozen miles in Cowlitz County. The first salmon of the year typically arrive in reasonable numbers during March (although die-hards start chasing them even earlier), while April generally produces the best results for spring Chinook. Chinook come in both the spring and the fall, with the spring run typically the better of the two fisheries here. Most anglers come to this big impoundment (3,800 acres), also known as Lake Merwin, to either catch kokanee or try their hand at fooling big tiger muskies. Also note minimum size requirements for trout and tributary closure information. Salmon and steelhead runs are limited, but a modest number of fall Chinook are bagged here in the late summer. Located near Kalama, on Interstate 5 between Longview and Woodland, the river has some sort of salmon or steelhead run available pretty much all year long, with good numbers of hatchery fish. There have been a few days of open fishing in designated areas on the river. Near the mouth of Siouxon Creek is one spot to look for them. More: Fishing at Horseshoe Lake in Woodland. There’s also a ramp to launch a small boat, in addition to day-use facilities including picnic spots. The Cowlitz gets a bad rap as being a gear anglers haunt, and it is, but there are some great runs and pools to fish where most gear anglers are not to be found. Cowlitz River. Horseshoe Lake Fair. “Like” us on Facebook. River Fishing (1) Fishing Technique. Winter steelhead tend to run fairly late here, with catches usually best in March and April. Most anglers tie those below blades or flashers to attract fish attention. Learn More. Over 90,000 of these fish are raised and released every year from Tacoma Power’s Cowlitz Trout Hatchery near Blue Creek, with adults returning in the fall. There’s a smaller summer-run of Chinook, but small doesn’t describe these fish, which can be among the largest found anywhere. A more modest number of coho enter the catch in this part of the river during the same period as the Chinook, and they in fact are often caught by anglers focused on the bigger salmon. As the spring salmon fishery tapers off, summer steelhead picks up, and the Cowlitz often provides excellent summer steelheading from July through October. To view our fishing access maps and additional information about this fishing destination you must be a Lunker’s Guide member. Both lakes are dammed and preserve the cold water from the mountain, creating great trout fishing in the lakes, and cool water continuing downstream producing excellent water conditions for steelhead, salmon and trout migrating upstream to spawn. This reservoir, located between two other big impoundments, is shared with Clark County. Boat anglers probably account for 70% or more of the fish. There’s also a worthwhile fall Chinook fishery here, with the best catches likely to be in September. PacifiCorp maintains several boat ramps, but these may be out of the water when levels are well down, usually later in the season. Coho salmon are caught during the same time frame here. The Elochoman is a relatively short river, originating in the soggy hills of Southwest Washington and flowing into a slough and then the Columbia River northwest of Cathlamet. Skamania County: To the east, salmon, steelhead and more in the Columbia River and tributaries, plus some very good trout and bass lakes. By June, you’ll probably do better closer up toward Kalama Falls Hatchery. When the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery began operation in 1968, it was the largest salmon hatchery in the world. A lot of anglers target these tasty fish with fly-fishing tackle — streamers and wet flies like Reverse Spiders and dry flies like skated October Caddis can be productive — but they can be caught on the same baits (eggs and spinners) targeting coho. This river flies under the radar for anglers outside of the lower Columbia River area, but it’s the best stream located primarily in Wahkiakum County. Salmon catches can be moderate when the runs are good. They are hard to catch but will strike large plugs and spinners that look like forage fish. Bass anglers come here in pretty good numbers, so don’t expect to have the place to yourself. The summer fish arrive in earnest during May and June and fishing typically holds up pretty well into July and August. Would you Buy Some Value of an Earthworm and a Bee in Nature’s Bio-systems? The trout will fall to relatively shallow trolling or bait-fishing techniques, but don’t expect this fishery to stretch into the summer here like it will at the reservoirs on the Lewis and Cowlitz rivers. From 19979 reviews. The run typically continues into late October or early November. See more in our Best Tiger Muskie Fishing in Washington article. Light Tackle (1) Drift Fishing (1) Policies. The creek, which flows directly into the Columbia River west of Longview, offers up a bit of cutthroat trout fishing and the rare stray hatchery steelhead. Twelve months of the year there is a genuine possibility of hooking into a fish 15 lbs. Cowlitz river fishing report. The North Fork has runs of both fall and spring Chinook and also fall coho. 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