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Riffe Lake Fishing Report

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

The Cowlitz's big pool: Riffe's drowned valley runs landlocked coho, tiger-striped bass water and fog-forest solitude.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Water temp
~73 F est.
Air / High
66 / 69 F
Wind
SSW 1 mph

Sources: 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.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Riffe Lake lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. Today brings cloud cover, wind SSW around 1 mph, rising pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 69. Water sits around 73 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 bassExcellent

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

Northern pikeExcellent

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Rainbow troutExcellent

Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Largemouth bassGood

Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

Tomorrow: Similar at 66 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.

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.

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp66 F
High / Low69 / 49 F
WindSSW 1-7 mph
Pressure1013.7 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain77% cloud, 23%
Sunrise / Sunset06:33 / 19:42
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 69/49 F, wind 7 mph, rain 23%

Fair or better. Calm and stable: plan around the solunar majors at dawn and dusk.

Species guide

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

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.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

When to come: the Riffe Lake 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
Smallmouth bass
Largemouth bass
Northern pike
Rainbow trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 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 Riffe Lake 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 63 F, wind to 7 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 65 F, wind to 9 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 69 F, wind to 9 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

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 license. Landlocked coho count as trout limits: check WDFW. Tacoma Power park rules.

Access

Mossyrock Park, Taidnapam Park ramps; shoreline at the parks.

About this water

11,830 acres behind Mossyrock Dam, Lewis County, WA. The landlocked-silver pool.

Fishing Riffe Lake: the full guide

The mossyrock pool

Riffe floods 23 miles of the Cowlitz valley behind Mossyrock Dam: Tacoma Power's deep green pool famous for one oddity: landlocked coho (silvers that never see salt) schooling its depths: with smallmouth on the stump lines and enough water to swallow every visitor.

Landlocked silvers

The coho school mid-lake (trolled dodgers and mini hoochies at 20-60 feet: kokanee tactics, salmon reward): fish run 10-16 inches of sea-run genetics in freshwater miniature. Limits run generous: the program plants heavily: and the winter troll keeps producing when the summer fleet quits.

Bass on the stumps

The drowned forest's stump fields hold smallmouth (tubes and cranks along the old riverbed's edges) and largemouth in the coves: an underrated warm-water fishery in salmon country. Cutthroat cruise the tributary mouths: the mixed creel is Riffe's habit.

Cowlitz practicalities

Tacoma Power's parks ramp both ends (Mossyrock, Taidnapam): low-pool winters stretch launches (check levels): and the fog-forest quiet is structural: the valley absorbs crowds whole. Pair with the Cowlitz salmon water below the dams: two fisheries, one river.

Common questions

What are landlocked coho?

Silvers planted above the dams: ocean genetics on kokanee schedules: trolled at depth year-round. Riffe runs the state's signature program.

Is Riffe Lake good for bass?

The stump fields hold a solid two-bass fishery the salmon crowd skips: smallmouth on the old riverbed's edges especially. Solitude included.

Why is Riffe Lake often drawn down?

Tacoma Power manages seismic and flood storage: low pools stretch the launches seasonally. Check current levels: the fish just follow the old riverbed: the coho school regardless.

Is fishing good at Riffe Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Lake Merwin38 miKalama River43 miCowlitz River44 miLewis River53 miDrano Lake61 miKlickitat River68 mi
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