SW WA Fishing

 

SW Washington- The Cowlitz and Lewis Rivers remain top options for district anglers with chinook making the strongest showing although coho are not far behind.

 

Fair numbers of sturgeon are below Bonneville Dam but consumptive opportunity doesn’t open up again for another few weeks.

 

Columbia River Gorge anglers are enjoying a productive period, targeting chinook at the tributary mouths hovering with small clusters of eggs. Jigs can also be effective fished here but are more likely to take coho when they start showing in the coming weeks.

SW Washington fishing

SW Washington- District anglers will begin focusing on fall chinook for the next several weeks. With chinook in good shape this early in the season, anglers are more likely to find eager biters earlier rather than later in the season. Small clusters of eggs under a bobber or backbounced should produce fair results on the Cowlitz, Kalama and Lewis Rivers.

The Lewis River opens up on September 15^th for the retention of wild chinook and fishing should be good.

 

Drano Lake anglers are showing improved catches of fall chinook and as steelhead passage remains uncharacteristically strong for this time of year, they remain a viable option as well. The larger “B” strain of steelhead should be showing in good numbers for the next few weeks.

SW Washington fishing

 

SW Washington- Efforts in the SW district tributaries should start to bump this week. Chinook will be entering the lower Lewis, Kalama and Cowlitz Rivers with savvy boaters working the lower stretches of these systems using small baits and light lines. Eggs will take the lion’s share of the catch. Bank anglers will use bobbers and bait in well-defined holes. The mouths of these systems should also produce well for anglers using hardware fished near the bottom.

 

With Bonneville counts on the climb, the Wind River and Drano Lake fisheries should start to see significant bumps in chinook production. Although these fish often have lock-jaw at these popular destinations, there should still be fair opportunity for harvest.

 

Numerous new regulations take effect this month so be sure to check regulations before heading out.