The Cowlitz River is located in Washington State and is a main tributary of the Columbia River. There are two state-run fish hatcheries on the river which provide great recreational fishing opportunities year round for both Salmon and Steelhead.

Spring Chinook Fishing on the Cowlitz River

We start targeting spring Chinook on the Cowlitz River in the months of April through May. Spring Chinook or “Springers” are the best table fare of all salmon. These fish enter the Cowlitz River starting in April and do not spawn until fall. We target these fish in a variety of ways on the Cowlitz River, including; back-trolling, side-drifting, hover-fishing, and even bobber fishing.

Summer Steelhead Fishing on the Cowlitz River

After Spring Chinook fishing on the Cowlitz River our focus turns to Summer Steelhead fishing on the Cowlitz River. The summer steelhead start showing up on the Cowlitz River around June. Summer run steelhead are the most acrobatic and aggressive species we fish for on the Cowlitz River. Our favorite technique is side-drifting, but later in the summer we like to back-troll plugs and bait.

Fall Salmon Fishing on the Cowlitz River

Fall Salmon fishing on the Cowlitz River begins in late September and lasts throughout the month of November. We generally will start near the mouth of the Cowlitz River and follow the majority of the run upstream to the barrier dam. The two species of salmon we fish for on the Cowlitz River are King “Chinook” Salmon and Silvers or “Coho” Salmon. We use a variety of techniques 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.

Winter Steelhead Fishing on the Cowlitz River

Winter Steelhead fishing on the Cowlitz River is one of our favorite fisheries of the year. With multiple hook-ups and lots of action, these aggressive and hard-fighting fish will keep your blood pumping. We fish for Winter Steelhead on the Cowlitz River from November through March. The most popular technique for Winter Steelhead on the Cowlitz is side-drifting bait.

The Columbia River begins in the Canadian Province  of British Columbia and flows down into the United States through Eastern Washington until it forms a watery border between Oregon and Washington State and then reaches the Pacific Ocean.  The Columbia River flows 1,250 miles from it’s headwaters to the Pacific Ocean.  There are 14 dams on the Columbia River between it’s headwaters and the Pacific Ocean.

We fish on the Columbia River for Columbia River Spring Chinook, also called Springers or Spring Chinook,  Columbia River Fall Chinook, also called King Salmon or Columbia River King Salmon, Columbia River Coho and Columbia River Sturgeon.  

The Spring Chinook Return to the Columbia River starting in February with increasing numbers during the months of March, April, May and June.  The Fall Chinook Run on the Columbia River starts in August and Runs through October.  Coho or Silver Salmon return to the Columbia River from August  through early November.

Popular places to fish for Salmon on the Columbia  include Vancouver, Buoy 10, Astoria, Longview and  the Bonneville Dam.

Wynoochee, pronounced WHY-noo-CHEE, is one of the best rivers on the Olympic Peninsula for Summer and Winter Steelhead Fishing.  It is also sometimes spelled  Wynoche or Wynoochie and means ‘changing or shifting,’ due to its ever changing path.

The Wynoochee River is located near the small town of Montesano in Western Washington.  The river is born out of the beautiful Olympic Mountains in the Olympic National Fores.

The Humptulips River originates in the Olympic National Forest as the East and West Fork. The name comes from the Humptulips Indians, part of the Chehalis tribe.  Some say the word “humptulips” means “hard pole” why others say it means chilly region.

Either way the Humptulips river to us means ” Big Fall Chinook Salmon!”  This is one of our favorite fall fisheries due to the large number of big Fall Chinook, hard fighting silvers, and the aggressive Chum Salmon.

The Humptulips Salmon fishery normally starts mid September and runs through December. The Chinook fishery is best up to Mid-November and Fresh Coho keep showing up through December!  This is a great chance to catch a trophy King Salmon, a trophy Coho Salmon, and alot of hard fighting action.

Humptulips, Copalis Crossing, Pacific Beach, and Ocean Shores are some of the small towns surrounding the Humptulips River.  The nearest cities are Aberdeen and Hoquiam, located at the mouth of the Chehalis River on Grays Harbor. Don’t for get your clam shovels, the Humptulips River is just a short drive to the Ocean Beaches!