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Cowlitz River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Cowlitz below Barrier Dam: hatchery salmon and steelhead water in Lewis County, with 2026-27 rules that change at every boundary.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
3,570 cfs
Air / High
55 / 60 F
Wind
WNW 3 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 14238000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 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.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Cowlitz River is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. The river is running 3,570 cfs, steady over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind WNW around 3 mph, steady pressure near 1026 hPa and a high of 60. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:49 AM-11:49 AM and 10:20 PM-12:20 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

SteelheadGood

Main tributary season: fish seams, pool heads and tails and structure with drifted eggs, beads, nymphs or streamers, and plan trips around rising or falling water.

Chinook salmonSlow

Runs enter the rivers: drift roe or sand shrimp through travel lanes, plunk a wrapped plug, or float eggs in eddies and tidewater.

Tomorrow: Similar at 62 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

Washington requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $39.95 for residents. What a Washington licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing steelhead here? Check the size and bag limits with WDFW before you keep anything. The season dates for Washington, read off the agency, are on the Washington seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Cowlitz River below Mayfield Dam, WA.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 14238000.

2,5913,0203,4493,570 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 92 years of October 23

At 3,570 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 14238000 (Cowlitz River below Mayfield Dam, WA) is at the 47th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 92 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 3,695 cfs; the highest was 22,300 cfs and the lowest 960 cfs.

p10 1,669median 3,695p90 6,580

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 14238000; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp55 F
High / Low60 / 42 F
WindWNW 3-10 mph
Pressure1025.6 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain8% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:39 / 18:09
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~55 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Cowlitz River this week

The best day on Cowlitz River this week looks like Wednesday Oct 28, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Wednesday, Oct 28 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:49 AM-11:49 AM and 10:20 PM-12:20 AM
Minor period
4:15 AM-5:15 AM
Sun
07:39 to 18:09
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 8 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

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

Great Lakes tributaries from fall through spring; West Coast rivers have both summer and winter runs

Steelhead are rainbow trout that migrate to the Pacific or the Great Lakes to grow, then return up rivers to spawn; unlike most Pacific salmon they can survive spawning and spawn again. Main tributary season: fish seams, pool heads and tails and structure with drifted eggs, beads, nymphs or streamers, and plan trips around rising or falling water.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

Chinook salmon illustration

Chinook salmon

Seasons follow the runs: spring, summer and fall runs on the West Coast, and late summer into fall in Great Lakes rivers

The largest Pacific salmon, caught by trolling and mooching at sea and by drifting and plunking in rivers as adults return to spawn; also stocked in the Great Lakes. Runs enter the rivers: drift roe or sand shrimp through travel lanes, plunk a wrapped plug, or float eggs in eddies and tidewater.

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
Rainbow trout
Chinook salmon
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 55 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 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, Oct 22

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Steelhead led the card at excellent. High of 60 F, wind to 10 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 70 F, wind to 5 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 67 F, wind to 6 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

Washington freshwater license plus the Columbia River Salmon and Steelhead Endorsement (ages 15 and older) for salmon and steelhead, new on the Cowlitz in 2026. Read the Cowlitz River entry in the 2026-2027 Washington Sport Fishing Rules for each boundary; a 100-foot zone at the hatchery wheelchair ramp is reserved for anglers with a designated harvester companion card.

Access

Tacoma Power's Barrier Dam Boat Launch (279 Barrier Dam Lane, Salkum) is free, with parking, restrooms and an ADA fishing ramp; hours are 4 a.m.-10 p.m. May 1-Nov. 4 and 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Nov. 7-April 20. WDFW's Blue Creek site, managed by Tacoma Power next to its Blue Creek Boat Launch, has ADA fishing platforms and parking but no restrooms.

About this water

The Cowlitz River below Mayfield Dam in Lewis County, Washington; flows come from the USGS gauge below Mayfield Dam, a short way above Barrier Dam.

Fishing Cowlitz River: the full guide

The hatchery behind the fishery

Tacoma Power owns and funds the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery, which WDFW operates. Tacoma Power says it releases about 7.5 million spring Chinook, fall Chinook and coho a year; it opened in 1968 after Mossyrock Dam was finished and was rebuilt in 2010. Barrier Dam, beside the hatchery, steers returning adults into a fish ladder for sorting, trucking upstream or broodstock.

Rules near Barrier Dam

In the 2026-27 Washington rules, the river is closed from 400 feet (or posted markers) below Barrier Dam to markers near the hatchery water intake, about 1,700 feet above the dam. From Mill Creek up to that closure, fishing from any floating device is prohibited, a night closure and anti-snagging rule apply April 1-November 30, and fishing from the south bank is prohibited May 1-June 15.

Limits and the new endorsement

In the reaches below Barrier Dam the hatchery steelhead limit is 3 a day, 20 inches minimum, year-round; wild cutthroat and wild rainbow trout must be released. Salmon rules change on August 1, when hatchery coho become the only keepers. New for 2026, anglers 15 and older need the Columbia River Salmon and Steelhead Endorsement to fish for salmon or steelhead on the Cowlitz.

Common questions

Where is the Cowlitz closed below the hatchery?

From 400 feet (or posted markers) below Barrier Dam up to the markers near the hatchery water intake, about 1,700 feet above the dam (2026-27 WDFW rules).

Do I need the new endorsement on the Cowlitz?

Yes for salmon and steelhead if you are 15 or older: WDFW added the Columbia River Salmon and Steelhead Endorsement requirement for the Cowlitz in 2026.

Can I fish from a boat near Barrier Dam?

Not between Mill Creek and the closed water below Barrier Dam, where fishing from any floating device is prohibited.

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: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Riffe Lake21 miKalama River34 miLake Merwin38 miLewis River46 miDrano Lake73 miWestport75 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 14238000 — Cowlitz River below Mayfield Dam, WA
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:00 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 46.5122, -122.6338 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 8, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 8, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.