SW Washington fishing report

SW Washington – Broodstock steelhead programs will carry anglers through the spring months with spring chinook and summer steelhead soon on the way. The Cowlitz remains a fair option for steelhead but it’s inundated with smelt right now. Sturgeon fishing in the lower reaches may be good for those that are able to match the hatch with frozen smelt. Anglers are allowed to use smelt for bait but they can’t come from the population of fish that falls under the Endangered Species Act.

The Kalama has put out a few steelhead recently with plugs becoming an effective method in the dropping flows. Another sharp rise in river levels is expected in the SW district however, putting boaters and bank anglers off for several more days.

SW Washington fishing report

SW Washington – The Cowlitz has slowed for steelhead but may provide some late season opportunity later this month.

Other district streams are recovering but only offering limited success for anglers willing to work for their quarry. The Kalama did put out a few fish over the weekend and the East Fork of the Lewis should start to produce some larger fish in the next few weeks.

Smelt have showed up in force in the Cowlitz River but no sport or commercial harvest is allowed. This return often sparks good sturgeon fishing in the lower reaches but since anglers may not use fresh smelt, success will be limited. Several years of strong returns are necessary for federal restrictions to be lifted.

Soapbox Update: The Association of NW Steelheaders is doing wonderful work here in Oregon and Washington. Take advantage of the offer below and contribute to the organization that’s working hard on behalf of the NW angler. Then, go to the Association of NW Steelheaders home page and see what else you can do to become a better sportsman or sportswoman. Go to: http://www.nwsteelheaders.org/

Be sure and bring your knife to the Sportsman Show Feb 8-12 at the Portland Expo Center. Kershaw is doing a knife sharpening and is donating the proceeds to the Steelheaders. Cost is $3 per knife and 100% of the proceeds are donated to the Steelheaders. The knife sharpening is happening at the Fred Meyer booth. Stay sharp and give back to the resource!

SW Washington Fishing Report

SW Washington – The Cowlitz saw a rebound in steelhead catches once flows dropped. Boat anglers averaged nearly a steelhead per rod and bank anglers did about half that good. The Kalama and Lewis should produce some results over the weekend. These rivers are dropping into excellent shape right now. The Washougal is also an option but high effort only produced fair results on the last check.