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Cowlitz River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Washington's numbers river: the hatchery workhorse for steelhead and salmon.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
67 / 71 F
Wind
SSE 5 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 14244180, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Cowlitz River offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. Today brings clear skies, wind SSE around 5 mph, rising pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 71. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Brown troutGood

Terrestrials tight to the bank; streamers through the deeper runs on cloudy days.

SteelheadSlow

First fall runs after rain: fresh chrome in the lower pools on spawn bags and beads.

Tomorrow: Similar at 74 F with a rain chance. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from COWLITZ RIVER NEAR 1ST AVE NW AT KELSO, WA.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp67 F
High / Low71 / 51 F
WindSSE 5-10 mph
Pressure1012.8 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain16% cloud, 16%
Sunrise / Sunset06:36 / 19:44
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 71/51 F, wind 10 mph, rain 16%

Fair or better. A 10 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Cowlitz River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Steelhead illustration

Steelhead

Best: Oct-Apr

Lake-run rainbows that turn tributaries into winter fisheries. First fall runs after rain: fresh chrome in the lower pools on spawn bags and beads.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Best: Sep-Nov

Wary, predatory and nocturnal by preference. The big ones eat streamers. Terrestrials tight to the bank; streamers through the deeper runs on cloudy days.

When to come: the Cowlitz River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Steelhead
Smallmouth bass
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Cowlitz River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 62 F, wind to 13 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 63 F, wind to 14 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 67 F, wind to 8 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Washington requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Barbless; section rules dense: read the WDFW pamphlet for the mile you fish.

Access

Blue Creek/Barrier Dam banks; boat launches at Mission Bar, I-5, Toledo.

About this water

The lower Columbia's hatchery workhorse, Lewis County, WA: more chrome encounters than any state neighbor.

Fishing Cowlitz River: the full guide

The Cowlitz machine

The Cowlitz produces more steelhead and salmon encounters than any Washington river: massive hatchery returns below Barrier Dam, bank and boat access at Blue Creek, and seasons that rotate springers, summer steel, falls and winters. It is production fishing: crowded, honest and effective.

Reading the returns

The Cowlitz runs on hatchery cycles: WDFW's return numbers (published weekly) tell you whether to drive. Springers peak May-June, summer steel June-August, silvers September-November, winter steel December-February: the river rarely lacks a target.

Blue Creek rhythm

The Blue Creek confluence concentrates everything: boats anchor the drift, bank anglers ladder the beach, and dawn position matters more than lure choice. Float-and-jig or drift-fished roe cover most seasons: match the crowd's etiquette and the river gives.

Hatchery horsepower

The Cowlitz runs Washington's biggest hatchery engine: winter steelhead December-February, summer runs June-August, spring Chinook April-June, coho stacking the barrier dam pools in October. Bank access at Blue Creek and the trout hatchery is famously productive (and famously social): drift-boat side-drifters work the same water with eggs and beads. Check the weekly WDFW dam counts: the river telegraphs its own openings.

Common questions

When are Cowlitz returns published?

WDFW posts weekly counts from the salmon hatchery separator: our report links seasonally. Rising weekly numbers plus dropping flows equals go.

Where should a bank angler start on the Cowlitz?

Blue Creek's public shore: the hatchery outflow concentrates returns within casting distance. Float eggs or twitch jigs at first light, and expect company when counts spike.

Is fishing good at Cowlitz River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Kalama River8 miLewis River18 miLake Merwin25 miRiffe Lake44 miSandy River55 miTrask River62 mi
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