Where to Fish

Baker Road Cabin

If you stay at Baker Road Cabin, you can fish in the Johnson Creek. Although the water can get pretty low in August and September.

La Wis Wis Campground

You can fish in the lower part of the Clear Fork of the Cowlitz accessed via the La Wis Wis Campground.

Walput Lake

Walupt Lake is normally ice free from mid-May through late November. The lake contains wild Cutthroat and Rainbow Trout. There is a US Forest Service campground and boat launch, and is quite popular. Forest Service Road 2160 goes to the lake. Fishing success for Rainbow Trout is generally best in the spring when thousands of fish are stocked statewide, but they can be caught year-round. Success remains high into June and gradually declines as water temperatures increase and fish move offshore to stay cool. Fish that escaped the spring harvest return to the nearshore areas in the fall as waters cool off. Some waters may also be stocked again in the fall further boosting catch rates.

Riffe Lake

Riffe Lake is a popular water for Smallmouth Bass.  It provides good fishing for landlocked Coho and Chinook salmon, plus an occasional large Brown Trout. Rainbow and Cutthroat Trout are also available. Other warm water species present include Brown Bullheads, along with a few Bluegill and Crappie. Mossyrock Park boat launch remains useable during most low-water conditions. Boat launches at the east end (Kosmos and Taidnapam Park) are not usable during low-water periods. Bank access is available on both sides near the dam and at the Taidnapam Park "fishing bridge" near the upper end of the lake.

Hatcheries

There are two state-run fish hatcheries on the river which provide excellent recreational fishing opportunities year round for both Salmon and Steelhead. According to fishthecowlitz.com, The Cowlitz River Salmon Hatchery produces nearly 13 million fish each year, including about 1.3 million spring Chinook, 5.0 million fall Chinook and 3.2 million coho salmon. This hatchery is located near Barrier Dam and the Barrier Dam boat launch. The Cowlitz River Trout Hatchery is located near the Blue Creek Boat Launch and releases around 1.5 million fish a year. The species released here include Summer and Winter Steelhead as well as Sea-Run Cutthroat Trout.

Seasons

Spring — Chinook

Most Cowlitz river anglers begin targeting spring chinook during the months of April through May. Spring Chinook also is known as “Springers” which are the some of the best eating of all the Cowlitz River salmon. These fish enter the river starting in April and spawn in fall. Catching these monsters on the Cowlitz can be done in a variety of ways such as floating roe under a bobber, back-trolling, side-drifting, twitching jigs, and throwing gear. If you don’t want to go it alone, this time of year is a good time to consider hiring one of our Cowlitz River Fishing Guides to learn the best Spring Chinook fishing techniques.

Summer — Steelhead 

After Spring Chinook fishing tappers on the Cowlitz River, the focus turns to Summer Steelhead fishing. The summer steelhead start showing up on the Cowlitz River around June. Summer run steelhead is the some of the most fierce fighting fish on the Cowlitz River and among the favorite fish to target. Fishing techniques include side-drifting, for summer run steelhead but later in the season back-trolling plugs and floating or bottom bouncing bait. Although the summer run is not as popular as the winter steelhead fisheries, There are a few Cowlitz River Fishing Guides that offer guided fishing trips for this season as well.

Fall — Salmon

Fall Salmon fishing on the Cowlitz River begins in late September and lasts throughout the month of November. Anglers generally start near the mouth of the Cowlitz River and follow the run upstream to the barrier dam. The two species of salmon fished for on the Cowlitz River are King, “Chinook” salmon and Silvers or Coho Salmon. A variety of techniques are effective including, side-drifting, twitching jigs, back-trolling, hover-fishing and casting hardware. This is an action-packed fishery with fish ranging from 5 to 50 pounds. This time of year is when you’ll see several Cowlitz River Fishing Guides on the water targeting both fall and winter steelhead. 

Winter — Steelhead

Winter Steelhead fishing on the Cowlitz River is one of the favorite fisheries of the season. With multiple hook-ups and lots of action, these aggressive and hard-fighting fish will keep your blood pumping. Generally, northwest anglers fish for Winter Steelhead on the Cowlitz River during the months of November through March. The most popular techniques for Winter Steelhead on the Cowlitz is side-drifting bait and floating roe.