Your Guide to March Fishing in Southwest Washington
March 2024
Greetings, fellow anglers! It's March, and spring is finally stirring the waters of Southwest Washington. This month's report dives into the latest catches and conditions for our local fishing scene. Whether you're chasing elusive steelhead on the Cowlitz or casting for feisty crappie in local lakes, this update will hopefully equip you for a productive outing.
WDFW Affairs
WDFW rolled out a host of spring Chinook rule changes last week affecting Southwest Washington tributaries including the Cowlitz, Kalama, Wind, Drano, and Klickitat. In addition to lowering the retention threshold to one fish, Cowlitz Chinook need to have a healed Adipose and healed Ventral fin clip for retention. Based on my own experience and that of others, good luck finding any.
WDFW App version 2.0 has been released in beta.
Below are beta testing links to Fish Washington 2.0 currently available for users to download. If you are viewing this from a mobile device, you can click on these links - Google Play Store and iOS App Store - to download. This will officially launch in spring 2024.
After using it on a few occasions over the past couple of weeks, I can report that the improvements are welcomed.
· The update now takes seconds and there’s no need to have the app stay screen active to complete the updates.
· Tides and river levels are also included for specific water bodies when.
WDFW Salmon Daily Digest
The statewide salmon forecast meeting took place on March 1 in Olympia. Follow this blog for regular updates at all the upcoming salmon season setting meetings: https://wdfw.medium.com/salmon-daily-digest-3d59d1b28342
SW Washington Hatchery Escapements
I publish this data most Thursday’s by noon on X. @FiNNreports.
Ilwaco and Long Beach
Bottom fishing opens this Friday in Marine areas 1 & 2. The Marine forecast as of Wednesday looks pretty gnarly with combined seas of 14ft and a strong dominant south wind for the weekend.
Clamming has been excellent for those brave enough to endure the elements. Best results for quickest limits have been clamming the surfs edge (not in it), about an hour and a half before the noted time of the low tide. The switch over from pm digs to am digs happens on Monday March 11th. This might be a good opportunity to spend the night on Monday, digging that evening and then an early session the following morning. Here is the schedule that has been approved:
WDFW approves 11 days of coastal razor clam digs starting March 7; additional tentative digs planned for March and April
Afternoon and evening low tides (noon to midnight only):
March 7, Thursday, 4:15 p.m.; -0.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
March 8, Friday, 5:00 p.m.; -0.8 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
March 9, Saturday, 5:42 p.m.; -0.9 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
March 10, Sunday, 7:22 p.m.; -0.7 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
March 11, Monday, 8:00 p.m.; -0.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
Morning/early afternoon (4 a.m. to 4 p.m. only) low tides from March 12-17:
March 12, Tuesday, 8:33 a.m.; -0.3 feet; Long Beach, Mocrocks
March 13, Wednesday, 9:21 a.m.; -0.4 feet; Long Beach, Mocrocks
March 14, Thursday, 10:12 a.m.; -0.3 feet; Long Beach, Mocrocks
March 15, Friday, 11:08 a.m.; 0.1 feet; Copalis (Ocean Shores Razor Clam Festival)
March 16, Saturday, 12:10 p.m.; 0.5 feet; Copalis (Ocean Shores Razor Clam Festival)
March 17, Sunday, 1:23 p.m.; 0.9 feet; Mocrocks (Ocean Shores Razor Clam Festival)
Surf perch fishing is picking up with some folks making the best of clamming and fishing. One angler from last weekend noted,” Overcast and drizzle at times. But limit on Redtail about 3 hours and razor clam in one hour.” Look for the smaller tidal exchange of the day and fish the incoming for best opportunities.
Estuary crabbing in lower in Grays harbor is fair at best and I have not received any reports for the Columbia Estuary. Rain runoff this time of year, coupled with the coinciding commercial season hardly makes it worth the effort for the next few weeks.
Black lake hasn’t received any trout this year so far, other than the 100 Steelhead transplants on January 19th. I did hear a report however that trout fishing for holdovers is good. This particular angler caught a nice 18” rainbow, that wasn’t a steelhead transplant. Black lake is perfect for a kayak or small row boat.
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Cathlamet to Longview
WDFW did some checks this week and reported that two bank anglers had one steelhead. Plunking at County Line Park and Willow Grove should improve for Cowlitz bound hatchery steelhead in the coming weeks. As March progresses the chances of hooking a Springer in this area will also increase. If you haven’t plunked in the County Line park area, you should check it out.
Toledo and Castle Rock
The second smelt dip was a complete bust. I reported @FiNNreports on Monday, “if you’re planning on #smelt dipping today the best results should be up by Castle Rock. The tribes have been doing well up that way with bird activity and sightings disappearing from lower river”. This turned out to be the case as many in the lower river were smeltless.
Silver Lake crappie fishing is going gangbusters. It’s busy on the canals from the bank. These crappie should stay in the canals for another month or so before migrating back into the open water of the lake.
The Cowlitz Tacoma Power website reports the following: Last week, Tacoma Power employees recovered 119 winter-run steelhead adults over four days of operations at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator.
During the past week, Tacoma Power employees released 13 winter-run steelhead adults at Franklin Bridge in Packwood, and they released 19 winter-run steelhead adults into the Tilton River at the Bremer Bridge release site near Morton.
River flow below Mayfield Dam is 5,160 cubic feet per second on Monday, February 26, 2024. Water visibility is 5 feet and water temperature is 42.8F.
WDFW streamside checks show: Cowlitz River I-5 Br downstream – 74 bank rods kept seven steelhead and released one steelhead. 1boat/4 rods had no catch.
Cowlitz River Above the I-5 Br – 39 bank rods kept five steelhead and released one steelhead. 31boats/107 rods kept 78 steelhead and released four steelhead.
The late-run Steelhead appear to be coming in stronger and earlier than the 10-year average as noted below.
Dave Mallahan with Daves Guide Service has been running trips almost every day. He says it’s very busy with the added pressure of the closures up on the peninsular. There’s fish to be caught, but it’s up and down.
Bank fishing at Blue Creek is extremely busy, so get there early for a prime spot.
Plunking in the lower river should improve now that the smelt and sea lions are beginning to clear out. Overall the Cowlitz currently has the most biomass in the region and the crowds prove it. If you intercept an early Chinook, please don’t forgot it has to be double clipped.
Riffe Lake is currently at 739 feet. Both boat launch lanes are now open at Mossyrock Park. The other boat launches are closed.
Don’t let the weather scare you away from this beautiful lake. The grounds crew at Mossyrock park do a great job at keeping things clear. I did see some reports that fishing has been good, with one angler noting that pink hoochies were responsible for most of the fish taken in their two-person limit.
Gerald Maines an avid angler and Riffe proponent shares the following regarding the dock status. “The main reason the dock hasn’t been put in is inconsistent weather and water stabilization. The dock would just be beat to heck and then there wouldn’t be a dock. The rain, the wind, the levels. after this weather front coming In and passing, I hope it will stabilize and show more consistency so the dock can be put in. That’s the problem with these portable docks, they get beat up and lack of consistency.”
Musky are becoming a little active on Mayfield Lake as they begin to show themselves in the shallows. As the water warms later in the spring these fish will begin actively feeding. There is an attempt by some folks to put together a Musky Tournament later in the year. I will update as more information is shared.
Kalama
Kalama River boat action was furious today. I counted 14 boat trailers at the various launches. I spoke with several different anglers who said that fishing was hit or miss due to how busy it has been. Most were getting a late start, as it was 10am and several were just launching for the day. I didn’t see or talk to any bank fisherman at the couple places I stopped. A separate report I received indicated fishing was good but crowded.
The river flow was perfect, and color is excellent. Based on the numbers of transplanted Steelhead to Kress, the Kalama might be a good option.
Kress Lake continues to receive a bunch of transplanted steelhead with 36 stocked since February 23rd. I stopped by on Wednesday to observe around 15 bank anglers. In the time I was there I didn’t see any species of fish landed. Most appeared to be fishing for stocker trout.
Louis Rasmussen Park in Kalama was void of any Plunkers on Wednesday.
Woodland
After five days of elevated 11,000cfs plus water flow, the Lewis river as of Wednesday is dropping into fishing shape quickly. I have a sense the river will fish well in the immediate future for remaining steelhead and a chance at a returning Spring Chinook. The Lewis Steelhead escapements have been most impressive and the trend continues.
I took a drive by Cedar Creek after leaving Battleground lake on Monday. There wasn’t a single boat in the parking lot, and I observed only one angler fishing below the hatchery on the Cowlitz side of the river. Clarity is still a little off but considering the lack of rain in the forecast and dropping flows, it should fish well by the weekend. It’s Wednesday and the river is leveling off around 6,500cfs. I’m planning on hitting the Lewis eagerly anticipating an early springer on Friday. I’ll be fishing with my friend Keith in his blue Alumaweld side drifter. If you see us, stop by, and say hey. My boat is getting picked up this Thursday from a motor service and after a good annual detail clean, should be ready next week.
The new owners of the Angler West, now Anglers Unlimited are doing a fantastic job with new inventory and deals. They are opening a drive-up bait window on March 9th. It’s going to be open early, and you will eventually have the ability to pre-order online. Their website is still in development, but you can find it here. While they didn’t have much to report right now for the Lewis, they did have a pretty productive winter overall, with the images from this winter’s fishing hanging on the walls. The store looks great, and the guys are very helpful.
Seth messaged me right before sending this report with info that his friend had a decent day Wednesday, on the North Fork for Steelhead.
Two thousand stocker trout were planted in Horseshoe lake on February 12th. I drive through town 5 times a week and have yet to see anyone fishing. If we get some decent weather this weekend, it might be a good place to take the kids.
Last week on a nice afternoon I spent a couple hours at Martin’s Bar with Stanley. We were the only ones on the beach. No bell ringers for me running a double spin n glo setup. Bottom one for steelhead with pink SNG/Looney Coonies and top rigged with my Sea Hawk SNG set up that managed to trick two springers last year. I don’t retail my creations, but more than willing to share the recipes to those of you who share the tackle making hobby.
Ariel, Chelatchie and Cougar
My cousin recently built a new home on Merwin and hasn’t seen much boat activity. The reports are few and far between right now due to the wind and nasty winter weather. I would anticipate the next couple of weeks to really heat up. My favorite month of the year is March for Merwin. I am planning a trip for a week on Friday and will post @FiNNReports how we do...
Merwin water heights seem to be leveling off at 230ft. This is a good sign for improving water clarity and increased action. I can’t stress enough when fishing Merwin, if you aren’t catching or seeing surfacing after an hour, move or at least switch up the tactics. If fishing multiple rods, try that many things until you find the silver bullet.
A report I received for Wednesday stated that orange was the best color hoochie at 140ft flatline. They also has some success with 2oz of weight at 85ft. The bite is an early morning show, with things slowing way down around 11:00am.
Not much in the way of Yale reports. March can be a productive month, depending on water clarity. A suggestion would be to start your troll straight across the lake from the Yale park launch and fish between the large culverts on the east shore.
La Center and Ridgefield
No reports
Greater Vancouver
Klineline received a stocking on February 14th of 1,500 cutthroat and on February 23rd of 2,500 rainbow.
No reports for Salmon Creek steelhead.
Battle Ground
I stopped in at Battleground lake on Monday the 4th in the early afternoon. The lake was desolate, as I only observed one boat and a couple bank anglers. I did speak with a friend that got 3 rainbows and 2 cutthroat last Friday. He was trolling flies out of a kayak, working in the figure 8 pattern I suggested to him. On February 14th the lake received 1,500 cutthroat. Cutthroat usually migrate pretty quickly to the northeast portion of the lake. Trolling wooly buggers are most effective, as they are a little more aggressive than the stocker rainbow. Speaking of rainbow trout, WDFW added 2,000 more stocker size on February 23rd.
Camas and Washougal
The Washougal closes on March 15th. Seth’s contacts tell him it hasn’t been fishing well at all. The escapement counts were down considerably. There were no WDFW streamside checks for this river.
Lacamas Lake received the first trout stocking totaling 2,500 rainbow on February 29th. The stockers in Lacamas tend to hang around the dispersal site longer than other lakes in SW Washington. Historically they are planted around the gravel parking boat launch area along Leadbetter Road.
Stevenson and the Gorge
No reports
Bonneville Dam Fish Counts – Will be bringing back once the springer counts begin increasing.
Still only 2 Springer adults and the addition of 1 jack.
Puget Sound
Marine area 10 black mouth fishing is off to a terrific start for the brave folks who ventured out into the nasty weather. Spoons were out fishing hoochies according to some reports. There are quite a few shakers in the mix, using a bigger presentation such as Tomic type plugs can help avoid shaker hookups. If you enjoy this fishery and would like to keep it open, encounters count as caught.
WDFW Creel reports from area 10, the 1st and 2nd indicate 148 anglers landed 27 legal Chinook. There were 59 boats with average crew of 2.5 per boat.
From their February press release: In Marine Area 10, the winter Chinook fishery guidelines are 4,953 total encounters, 953 unmarked encounters, and 4,181 sublegal encounters. You can find all the catch data for that area here.
Other Report –
I met Griffin Marks with @OnTheMarkGuideService the other day. He is based out of the Grays Harbor area. Like other guides from around northwestern Washington, he is fishing in our neck of the woods for the time being. He’s a small stream guide who fishes a raft and drift boat. He turned me onto a tackle manufacturer that I think is worth a second look. The beads looked amazing, and he swears the innovative colors make a difference. You can find more info about Uncle Rory’s Beads on Instagram: @unclerorystackleco
Closing
As March rolls on, the fishing opportunities begin to heat up across Southwest Washington. The spring Chinook runs are hopefully beginning to arrive, with hopes of some early returners on the Cowlitz and Lewis systems. As we bring this month's fishing report to a close, it's clear that steelhead remain one of the hottest tickets for anglers across Southwest Washington right now. The Cowlitz River has been the star of the show, putting out an impressive number of hatchery steelhead to both bank and boat anglers. And of course, the coastal razor clam digs have been providing incredible action for those willing to brave the elements.
Ian Carter, Real Estate Broker
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