Lewis River fishing guide Casey Kelly has been guiding and fishing the Lewis River for over 25 years. Located in southwest Washington, it is often listed in the top ten for best fishing rivers in the state! With its serene beauty and dynamite fishing, it always tops our list of rivers to fish. Often you can battle with steelhead or tussle with salmon and have whole stretches of river to yourself! Because the Lewis is a state removed from the great metropolis of Portland, Oregon, and a long drive from the huge city of Seattle, Washington, a much smaller population of people fish this awesome river.
Located just outside of Woodland Washington, the Lewis River is very pretty river with several geographical features and wildlife such as waterfalls, cliffs, Bald Eagles, Osprey’s, deer and not to mention a nice golf course. The Lewis River is shallow in many areas, so Lewis River fishing guides are required to use jet pumps to navigate it. On a daily basis we are required to travel through only inches of water to get from spot to spot. This requires a very extensive knowledge of the river when flows are at their lowest. Many anglers stay off the river at low flows to avoid hitting objects which is fine by the few that do have that knowledge. Less people=more fish.
The Lewis River is fed by 95 miles of river that is ultimately fed by Mt, St Hellens. From the mouth of the Lewis to the first dam provides 12 miles of excellent fishing. After the three reservoirs, Merwin, Yale, and Swift, there is approximately 80 miles of pristine water for fish to spawn in. The Washington Dept of Fish and Wildlife use trucks to relocate adult salmon and steelhead above the reservoirs to spawn in the wild. After they have successfully spawned, they are then caught in a smolt trap and brought back to the lower river to begin their journey to the ocean.
The Lewis River has a North fork and an East fork. The East Fork Lewis was once a top producer of very large winter and summer steelhead in the state of Washington. The East fork Lewis still holds the state record for largest winter steelhead caught in 1980. Growing up fishing the East Fork Lewis was a real treat. The steelhead were so big, that often times you had no chance of landing them! And often fish that were landed, were in the 20 plus pound range! The North fork Lewis has also put up some very large steelhead over the years is well. One day fishing a fishing partner and I landed 4 20 plus pounders in 4 casts! Something that will never happen again but was unreal to see!
An experienced Lewis River Fishing Guide can catch fish out of the Lewis River 365 days a year. In November winter Steelhead start making their way into the Lewis River, making for awesome fishing for these crazy fighting fish. In May, world famous eating spring Chinook salmon start entering the Lewis River. For nearly a month. Anglers typically back bounce eggs, use Kwikfish and back bounce herring to target these Spring Chinook.
When late June arrives, it is time to start targeting Summer Steelhead. These aggressive fish, just like their winter steelhead counterparts, are a blast to catch! These fish are known as the acrobats of the Northwest often jumping and flipping through the air. Summer Steelhead typically bite very hard, and when the hook is set on them, they are not happy, and they often show the person holding the fishing rod who’s boss.
When Fall Chinook (King Salmon) and Coho (Silver Salmon) arrive in September it is red-hot fishing on the Lewis. This is when special Salmon eggs are brought out and going fishing turns into going catching! We back bounce and hover fish salmon eggs, cast wiggle warts, and use twitching jigs until December with great success Fall Chinook and Coho Salmon.
NW Columbia Fishing Adventures
Columbia River fishing guide, Oregon fishing guide and Washington fishing guide, specializes in 1 to 6 man fishing trips on Washington and Oregon’s premier rivers. From Buoy 10 to Bonneville dam, we catch Salmon, Sturgeon, Winter Steelhead, Summer Steelhead, Kokanee, Walleye, Shad and Bass. Book a trip today good dates fill fast.
