Spring chinook are here! This week in SW Washington we have spring chinook just starting to swim up the local tributaries with the best odds being out on the Columbia. Steelhead has finally come alive on the Cowlitz and the Lewis has started to get a solid push of wild steelhead up the river. Smelt openers are here for those who like smelt dipping with three dates already passed last week, almost no smelt have been caught. Merwin has been a grind as of late with limits still being had but taking much longer than previous weeks. Tentative dates are set for a short razor clam dig but no approval yet. Sorry for the lack of a report last week. I was incredibly sick but feeling much better this week.
REMINDER, please verify the regulations before fishing any body of water. AND wear a life jacket.
Lewis Report – No change in flow rate this week as the Lewis is holding right around 5,600 cfs. The steelhead are really starting to push into the river this week as I received several reports of absolute lights-out days on the Lewis this last week. Spring chinook not so much, I caught up with guide Eric Brigham this week asking how the river has been fishing and he kept it short and said “not well for springers but there are a ton of wild steelhead around”. A trusted reporter Brandon Wubbon went out Saturday 3/15/25 and went two for five losing all three steelhead at the boat right before netting them. Most anglers have been bringing gear for both steelhead and chinook and with the first few chinook back to the hatchery I am surprised I have only heard of a few of them being caught this week. One good friend lives on the river and plunks out of his backyard daily and has hooked two this week only landing one chinook. Robert Day went out on Wednesday 3/19/25 and hooked one near Cedar Creek as well…