Swofford pond is open year round and offers a boat launch, but combustion engines are not allowed. Riffe provides good fishing for landlocked coho and Chinook salmon, plus an occasional large brown trout. Should be good it's the end of the winter season. Crappie like lures that imitate very small fish. There are 3 boat launches, 2 of which are not accessible during low water conditions. Riffe Lake provides opportunities for bluegill, brown trout, coho salmon, black crappie, brown bullhead, chinook salmon, smallmouth bass and coastal cutthroat trout (resident) throughout the year. View fishing report . Fishing improves throughout the spring, peaking before the spawning period in May and June. Recommended gear for trolling a hoochie or wedding ring spinner about a foot behind an Arrow flasher, tip hooks with shrimp. Northern pikeminnow Bull trout Sign in to your account to find other friends and anglers who are using Fishidy. In typical years trout were caught more incidentally than on purpose by anglers fishing for more numerous land-locked salmon, and at least some drop down from the Cowlitz and tributaries. Other lures sometimes fish best without bait, including spinners, spoons and wobbling lures like bright FlatFish. Or try our advanced Washington fishing lake finder - search for any species of fish, filter by stocked lakes only, lake amenities and more. Outside the Northwest fishing world, with meat processors having to shut down, farmers are having to make tough decisions about slaughtering their livestock. Bluegill can be caught year-round, but fishing is best in the warm months of Summer. It is a popular water for smallmouth bass. Coho Salmon with a Fisherman Catcher - Pink Hoochie. There is a summer lull as fish move offshore into deeper waters to escape the summer heat in July and August. I may have gotten lucky on that front but heads up if you want a lake where you are not an obstacle for their slalom course.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'northwestfishingreports_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_1',139,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-northwestfishingreports_com-large-leaderboard-2-0'); I have a question about your lure you were using at Rife, but can't get any response back when I send a message to Northern Tribe Outdoors. The fishing regulatory body for Washington is Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Riffe Lake Campground is also close to other fishing. In other words, for a year or two anyway, Riffe Lake has excellent rainbow trout fishing. Fish at any of the aforementioned shore access areas using a worm, power bait, or power eggs. Rearing the East Coast fish was banned in Washington after company nets overloaded with mussels and marine plants tore loose in August 2017 and a quarter million farmed fish escaped. Pryor says the fish were about 6 inches long when they were let loose in the upper Cowlitz River reservoir, and expects them to grow quickly. Latest reports: Winter 2023 reports are of extremely low water, rendering boat launches unusable. There is no need to wait for fall salmon runs if you're craving some smoked salmon! 1307. Gear for Crappie I've found the most success with a worm and a piece of shoepeg corn cured pink. There are 3 boat launches, 2 of which are not accessible during low water conditions. Should be good it's the end of the winter season. Prices and optons are listed including non resident fishing licenses. It is a popular water for smallmouth bass. Coastal cutthroat trout (resident) Center: 46.477388, -122.295061 Mossyrock Park also has shoreline access but its not as popular for catching salmon from the shore right there as it is for boaters heading out onto the lake. Well cover this more in a blog post soon but for Riffe Lake right now the wind is coming depth (ft) To depth map Go back The kokanee are averaging respectable sizes with very few dinks in the mix. To better understand fishing patterns, conditions to predict ferocity of fishable events and locations. An somewhat popular lake, there has been many reports by anglers at Riffe Lake over the past few years. Bank fishing by the dam with a sliding bobber with Shrimp and worms can also produce fish. Trolling for these land locked coho and chinook isn't too different from trolling for Kokanee or rainbow trout. WDFW Fishing and Stocking ReportsWDFW Fishing RegulationsNational Weather Service forecasts, Riffe Lake Fishing: How to Catch Coho, Bass & More (2023), tips to catch more salmon in our simple how-to fishing guide, great fishery here is for smallmouth bass, Bass Fishing: Simple How-To Techniques and Tips, trolling and bait-fishing techniques will catch trout, best catfish fishing baits and techniques, Crappie like lures that imitate very small fish. Got into the fish by the buoys at the dam. Pretty good cloud cover today at 75% although there may be times when the sun will break through but should be enough cloud cover to find a good spot on Riffe Lake. I think because of the quality of all the sticks and floating logs in the lake ( as well as the wind) it does not appear to be really popular with the water maggots (aka Jet Skies) or ski boats. If you live in Mossyrock or Morton you're less than Riffe Lake - 687.96 feet of elevation (maximum of approx. Recommended gear for trolling a hoochie or wedding ring spinner about a foot behind an Arrow flasher, tip hooks with shrimp. Some days the fish are at 40 feet, other days they are as deep as 90-100 feet. Its a popular spot in the summertime. It's a good idea to call Tacoma Power or check their website for current water levels. I'm sure you've heard of the old sying: Wind from the West, fish bite the best. Wind from the East, fish bite the least. However, weve seen some reports of nice triploid rainbows caught from the bank in the upper part of the reservoir. The best coho fishing here tends to be from mid-spring to early summer, and for good reason. Wind from the Also, by that time of the year, most of your catch will be the younger class of fish, which are roughly the size of just-legal stocked rainbows. WDFW Hatchery Manager Eric Kinne said the state wasnt in a position to buy them, nor did it have a lake to put them into, but after Tacoma Power which operates the dam, launches and parks on Riffe expressed interest, agency fisheries scientist Ken Warheit visited Cookes facility on April 2, sampled the fish for PRV and ran the tests while other agency staffers expedited stocking and transportation permits. Others use yellow corn or a piece of shrimp. Find Medical Lake, WA recreational land for sale properties. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Riffe Lake WA Map - Fishing & Camping Areas Lake Video Riffe lake fishing June 24th. There are a tremendous amount of options for bait. Its less so about the direction but the cause for the direction. Good news, the wind speed is forecasted to be at 5mph and considered in the optimal range for fishing as the ripples caused by the wind on the water's surface will help hide the line an lure on Riffe Lake You still may end up catching more smallmouth than largemouth. Its going to turn that fishery around especially next fall and next year, forecasts Larry Pryor of Northwest Fisheries Enhancement, who worked as a middle man to find a home for the trout. For March: 16 in. Still-fishing also is a good way to catch coho, and is especially popular for bank fishing near the dam and up at the fishing bridge at Taidnapam. Triploids are sterile and put their energy into growing instead of spawning. Try playing around with herring and shrimp scents on your lures. Riffe Lake Near Mossyrock is located in Lewis County in Washington. With fishing opening again on May 5th, and with 400,000 freshly stocked triploid trout, this is the perfect time to try fishing Riffe Lake. Riffe is best known for its resident coho and smallmouth bass fishing. The day-use area is open. Riffe Lake WA Fishing Reports, Map & Hot Spots Riffe Lake Lewis - Washington 5 catches 196 followers 20 spots Riffe Lake, historically known as Mossyrock Lake then as Davisson Lake, is a reservoir formed by Mossyrock Dam. With the wind forecasted at 1mph hardly a puff out there makes for a calm mirror like surface. The other potentially great fishery here is for smallmouth bass, which are available in good numbers and can reach trophy sizes in the 5-pound range or better, which is a very nice smallmouth in the Pacific Northwest. Its more like an hour and a half from Tacoma, taking Highway 7 south to Morton located north of mid-lake, and then Highway 12 to whichever end of Riffe you plan to fish. If the winds pick up enough to make controlling your boat difficult, try trolling with the wind. It is well worth the effort to learn the lake. Leftover hatchery chinook and coho salmon are stocked in this lake once quotas have been met for the nearby Cowlitz River. The state record rainbow trout was a 30 pounder out of Rufus Woods Reservoir. Required fields are marked *. Once you've keyed onto the fish, try trolling in a circle, always changing up speed and depth to find the largest school. The average temperature will be 0F during the day. Cowlitz: Is open for Hatchery Steelhead, Sea run Cutthroat and Salmon. Please ensure to adhere to the fishing regulations for the state. Cloud-based software features online reservations, website builder, website hosting, Point of Sale, interactive campground maps, email and text messaging, marketing tools, credit card processing and reports. Get information about river flows and lake levels at MyTPU.org/LakeLevels. Station Notes. Anglers reported the most success with salmon. This is the third and final report on my week of fishing at Riffe Lake. Only saw a couple my whole week out there. Winter is the most difficult season in which to catch Bluegill, but persistent anglers can find them in schools of like-sized fish offshore. Make sure you're reppared for the correct fish by having the best lures and bait for the fish that are likely in Riffe Lake . 360 703 8817, I have been trying to get ahold of you. Riffe Lake is a massive Cowlitz River reservoir that anglers should get to know better if they like to catch lots of land-locked coho salmon and smallmouth bass. Winter is the hardest time because fish are offshore and slow moving. 11830 surface area (acres) 360 max. If so get you'll find all your weather information you'll need over the next seven days. Click here for the latest 7 day fishing weather forecast for Riffe Lake. 2 lb. Winter Steelhead are starting to show up in the Kalama river. Subscribe and save by Joining Sportsman's Warehouse newsletter. Mostly nocturnal feeders, crawfish will come from long. Try starting out by the dam and keep a close eye on your fishfinder. Some anglers mistake coho for kokanee. Learn More, 02/05/2023 It's a good idea to check your bait if you haven't had a bite in some time, or if you lost a fish. Get out and explore fishing here! There are a multitude of recreational opportunities are nearby. If you're looking to catch yourself some of the 400,000 triploids freshly stocked in the lake, typical rainbow trout methods will apply, but be prepared to catch a 6+ pound football! While you can catch a variety of species at Riffe Lake, such as bass, crappie, and bullhead, most anglers visit for the opportunity to fill their coolers with landlocked salmon. For shore bound anglers, there is access on both sides of the dam as well as at the fishing bridge near Taidnapam Park. Anglers dont always have the upper hand. Horseshoe Lake: was stocked with some large Trout in December and has been stocked with surplus Steelhead. This is a massive, 13 mile long lake, so finding the fish is the most time consuming part. Shortly after departing the bay, chef Mike prepared the guys bratwursts with a broccoli salad. The famous Riffe Lake cocktail is a combination of a piece of corn, a worm, and a salad shrimp. Tie on a slip bobber and fish about 40 to 60 feet deep and you'll be on a salmon in no time. I see a lot of guys going faster, (and it depends on what you are using) but going slow produced some great fish. If that time won't work for you, 12:00AM to 12:00AM looks promising. But you might find a spot where either is biting. During winter, the bite is slower, but anglers can have great success fishing through the ice when conditions are safe. . Buy Lowrance HDS Live Finder - Save Up To $800 on System Components. Arrived at 1 pm left at 730 pm. Our recommendation is based on aspects about the weather conditions, moon phase & water conditions. Fishing in Washington doesnt reopen until May 5, and boat launches and parks on Riffe are also shut down for the time being. Also, WDFW and sport anglers are reporting in that the triploids tend to be full of intestinal worms, which wont hurt you but should be cleaned out of the gut cavity thoroughly before cooking. Wind from the Rather than see them go to waste, Pryor says he went to work reaching out to various federal and state agencies, utilities and tribes to see if anybody could take the fish. This means if you're planning of fishing at night then Theyll stage and hunt off shorelines, points, drop-offs, stumps, rock-face dams and other spots. Many trout die from the stress of reproduction, triploids may live longer and grow larger. Bank access is available on both sides near the dam and at the Taidnapam Park "fishing bridge" near the upper end of the lake. It's a good idea to call Tacoma Power or check their website for current water levels. Since these fish were just stocked, it's likely they will be hanging out in shallower depths than normal. Silver Lake: It's Crappie time in Silver Lake! Thank you. Learn More, 02/05/2023 Leftover hatchery chinook and coho salmon are stocked in this lake once quotas have been met for the nearby Cowlitz River. Questions? More: Bass Fishing: Simple How-To Techniques and Tips. Troll a little faster than you would for rainbow trout, and make sure those lures and flashers are spinning. For one, the coho tend to run much closer to the surface of the lake, where they can be caught more easily. The moon in the night skies over Riffe Lake is in a Waning Gibbous phase. Landlocked salmon rules apply. The water levels have dropped again and the boat launches are high and dry. If you are targeting the browns, try using lures that imitate smaller fish, which are a favorite brown trout forage. Riffe Lake is a 23 mile long reservoir that holds a variety of species including rainbow, brown trout, landlocked coho, bass, bluegill,crappie, and perch. W hile camping and fishing at Mossyrock Park with the Boy Scouts on Riffe Lake, I was fascinated by the exposed stumps along the shoreline. Bullheads are typically in relatively shallow water, usually within casting distance from the shoreline. View Fishing Details, For March: Because this lake is so deep, downriggers are almost necessity here, although deep divers might make a good alternative. 10 miles from Riffe Lake. Hatchery winte Merwin has been fishing very good! Riffe Lake used to be kept at near capacity level between Memorial Day and Labor Day, but updated outflow requirements intended to benefit federally-protected fish species have gradually forced. The lake supports naturally reproducing populations of black crappie, yellow perch, largemouth bass, bluegill, brown bullhead catfish, pumpkinseed sunfish, and Silver Lake is currently open from the fourth Saturday in April through October 31st and offers good harvest opportunity for stocked rainbow trout. Today we departed on Joe Beck and Mal Wagstaf's annual six day trip, which is our first post-boat work excursion! These phases cause bigger tides making fish more active Fishing includes Channel catfish, Brown Bull head, Brown and Rainbow trout, Smallmouth and Largemouth bass, Sucker, Yellow perch, and Crappie. Looking to find out if other fishing enthusiasts are having luck on Riffe Lake . The famous Riffe Lake cocktail is a combination of a piece of corn, a worm, and a salad shrimp. Well cover this more in a blog post soon but for Riffe Lake on Sat 4th March will be from a south easterly direction which means fishing is poor. Rooster tails, flatfish lures, and small pink hoochies are great options. He has since expanded the blog to include gear reviews, fishing reports, and even recipes for cooking up your catch. Soft plastics, crainbaits, spinners, and other lures will catch smallmouth bass. And, maybe more importantly, this time of year the bulk of your catch will be second-year coho, which tend to be at least 12 inches and often better. A lot of fun. Yale Reservoir and Lake Merwin. Editor's Note - this article was first published in 2020. She enjoys both freshwater and saltwater fishing adventures in the Puget Sound area with her fishing group, the Straw Hat Fishermen. Open in Google Maps. I'm sure you've heard of the old sying: Wind from the West, fish bite the best. You can check Tacoma Public Utilities access page for current access at Riffe and its other recreation areas. Get a next-day email alert when this lake get stocked! Learn More, 02/05/2023 . Learn More, 03/03/2023 Fishingfool16. It's more of a wife tail but always fun to recollect. Fishermen all over the state held their breath, and cheered as he announced re-opening recreational fishing on May 5, albeit with some restrictions still in place on coastal fisheries. Winter Steelhead are starting to show up in the Kalama river. Currently, most of the fish are being caught most on or near the surface. The lake stretches more than 13 miles along US-12 east of Mossyrock and has a year-round open fish Trolling 1.25mph, using power bait. Also where can I purchase them in an area near Longview, Wa. South blows bait in their mouth.. Call the Tacoma Power toll-free fishing hotline at (888) 502-8690 to check reservoir levels.