Cowlitz: Is open for Hatchery Steelhead, Sea run Cutthroat and Salmon. Normal lake elevation varies from 600 feet, minimum operating level, to 770 feet, normal operating pool, with crest of the spillway at 728 feet and top of tainter gates at 778.5 feet . This means if you're planning of fishing at night then 749 ft) Learn about changes to Riffe Lake levels. Its less so about the direction but the cause for the direction. You still may end up catching more smallmouth than largemouth. Recommended gear for trolling a hoochie or wedding ring spinner about a foot behind an Arrow flasher, tip hooks with shrimp. As mentioned, the lake is currently home to lots of triploid rainbow trout that were stocked when a private aquaculture company found itself without means to raise them as expected, so Tacoma Power accepted hundreds of thousands of the young fish in 2020. Make sure to bring a variety of options to see what the fish want that day. Many fishermen argue over the best bait to use. Center: 46.477388, -122.295061 Winds may gust up to 2mph. Because this lake is so deep, downriggers are almost necessity here, although deep divers might make a good alternative. It is well worth the effort to learn the lake. South blows bait in their mouth.. Often, shore and boat anglers suspend the bait several feet beneath a bobber when the fish are still running shallow enough. Triploids are created when trout eggs are exposed to a heat or pressure bath, causing a chromosome to split. The release drew the attention of a dozen eagles, Pryor says, but he believes the fish will have spread throughout the lake by now. An somewhat popular lake, there has been many reports by anglers at Riffe Lake over the past few years. An email address is required to associate with your Fishidy premium subscription. Honestly, if youre looking for crappie, bluegill, largemouth and even channel catfish (as well as stocked trout in the spring), consider neighboring Swofford Pond. The wild cutthroats and browns are targeted by a minority of anglers, but if you try this we suggest you work the waters near the mouths of incoming tributaries, particularly at the eastern (upper) end of the reservoir. Thu 1st January, 1970 Weather Conditions For Riffe Lake Temperature Updated Just Now During the day the maximum temperature will be 0F with a min temperature of 0F around Riffe Lake . There are launch points at the SW and NE ends of the lakes. Bullheads are typically in relatively shallow water, usually within casting distance from the shoreline. 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. 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. Try starting out by the dam and keep a close eye on your fishfinder. Kokanee 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. Fishing includes Channel catfish, Brown Bull head, Brown and Rainbow trout, Smallmouth and Largemouth bass, Sucker, Yellow perch, and Crappie. There are a tremendous amount of options for bait. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Others use yellow corn or a piece of shrimp. Recent Posts. . Smallmouth bass are savage hunters that feed on crayfish, smaller fish and other prey that comes their way. Copyright 2023Sportsman's Warehouse. View Fishing Details. Still fishing and trolling are both good options for boaters. I'm sure you've heard of the old sying: Wind from the West, fish bite the best. Monofilament recovery and recycling program. Some swear by cured shoepeg corn. During the day the maximum temperature will be 42F with a min temperature of 21F around Riffe Lake . The launch at Mossyrock Park is usually a good bet year round. 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. 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. Wind from the North, do not go forth. How is the fishing in Riffe lake? The day-use area is open. Like other catfish, these fish are easily caught on bait whenever you locate them. If we get some heavy rains the launches may be usable again. Also, WDFW plants steelhead upriver along with the salmon to spawn, and their young also can find their way into Riffe the same way the young coho and Chinook do. Unlike the reservoirs in either direction, Riffe isnt typically managed as a trout fishery. These salmon are smaller than ocean-going coho but very often reach 12 to 15 inches (and sometimes larger) and can be nearly as fat as footballs. For boating & fishing Mayfield Lake a 2000 acre lake just 10 minutes away & Riffe lake 11,000+ acre lake is only 30 minutes from the property. Since these fish were just stocked, it's likely they will be hanging out in shallower depths than normal. The salmon here are the product of WDFWs program of trucking mature hatchery salmon into the Cowlitz River system upstream from the dams. 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. It can take some work to find the schools, but easy limits can be had in less than an hour once you've found them. Use your favorite Kokanee flasher and a pink or chartreuse wedding ring or spoon. Riffe Lake (WA) nautical chart and water depth map Riffe Lake nautical chart The marine chart shows depth and hydrology of Riffe Lake on the map, which is located in the Washington state (Lewis). Surf Perch off the beach Anglers dont always have the upper hand. 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. Summer is a slight lull though dawn/dusk hours can be very good. 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. There are a tremendous amount of options for bait. To better understand fishing patterns, conditions to predict ferocity of fishable events and locations. Catchable Rainbow Trout are planted in the spring. It is a popular water for smallmouth bass. Below is directions to the southwest site. Swofford pond is open year round and offers a boat launch, but combustion engines are not allowed. If that time won't work for you, 12:00AM to 12:00AM looks promising. The best coho fishing here tends to be from mid-spring to early summer, and for good reason. If none of these work, sometimes cured coon shrimp or even a small piece of herring is the ticket.Catching TriploidsIf 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! Its less so about the direction but the cause for the direction. About Riffe Lake. Some anglers mistake coho for kokanee. Riffe covers more than 11,000 acres at full pool (typically in the spring), making it the largest non-Columbia River reservoir in Washington. The channel catfish were recently stocked and will be entering the fishery this year. Bank fishing by the dam with a sliding bobber with Shrimp and worms can also produce fish. Once you've keyed onto the fish, try trolling in a circle, always changing up speed and depth to find the largest school. Moon phases have split fishing folk's opinion straight down the middle with the bigger impact on saltwater fishing but some freshwater anglers Wind from the Thank you. Coho salmon are the most popular quarry at Riffe Lake, and this is one fishery that will draw fair numbers of anglers to the reservoir. 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. Just west of the ramp is an Island and the deep water off of that island butts up agains a flat. Riffe Lake provides good shoreline access and a number of boat launches. Summer is a slight lull, while Fall sees an improvement as waters cool, vegetation dies back, and prey becomes more available. The launch at Mossyrock Park is usually a good bet year round. Some days the fish are at 40 feet, other days they are as deep as 90-100 feet. Kokanee aka: Land locked salmon with a wedding rings. Winter is the most difficult season in which to catch Bluegill, but persistent anglers can find them in schools of like-sized fish offshore. Fishing improves throughout the spring, peaking before the spawning period in May and June. If you show up at the right time of the year with a boat capable of plying the big lake and play this right, you have a good shot at catching good numbers of freshwater salmon. An occasional Chinook will wind up in the catch, and might be a bit larger, but the coho are the bulk of salmon caught here. This is a great opportunity to net yourself a huge trout in Riffe Lake!Here is some background on Riffe Lake and its unique fishery, for those unfamiliar. This is a massive, 13 mile long lake, so finding the fish is the most time consuming part. Remember to keep 6 feet away from other fishermen, and fill that cooler! Yet despite its considerable size over 23 miles long with more than 50 miles of shoreline and offers excellent if sometimes under-appreciate fishing opportunities. 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 . We are seeing schools of Bluefin Tuna of various sizes. Should be good it's the end of the winter season. Using this web site acknowledges your agreement to the. Prices and optons are listed including non resident fishing licenses. Some fishermen believe they grow larger than other trout because the energy normally used for reproduction is instead used for eating. These fish are easy to fillet and delicious when smoked, almost like candy. Stocked rainbow trout also provide good fishing. The Columbia River: Near Longview is open for hatchery Salmon and Steelhead. Only Hatchery Salmon and Steelhead may be retained. Here is some background on Riffe Lake and its unique fishery, for those unfamiliar. Smallmouth bass love rocky and hard-bottom structure but will use all types of structure. There are 3 boat launches, 2 of which are not accessible during low water conditions. 16 in. Don't miss out! Troll a little faster than you would for rainbow trout, and make sure those lures and flashers are spinning. All Rights Reserved. Also where can I purchase them in an area near Longview, Wa. 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. But here's the kicker, I flat lined a rod 150ft back using a 2 inch mag . Elevation: 774 ft. 360 703 8817, I have been trying to get ahold of you. from a south easterly direction which means fishing is poor. Join for free today to access the capability once available. You are trying to access a feature that requires a Fishidy account. So please call me on my current phone number listed above. Riffe Lake Trout / Landlocked Salmon Fishing Link to Cowlitz River / Tacoma Power Website : Cowlitz Fish.net For information not available at this link, call 360-888-502-8690, this gives you options to listen to, one being the pool heights of all the Tacoma Power impoundments and the boat launches that are usable. Former bass fishing guide Roger Luce told us that Riffe Lake is one of his preferred fishing spots for big smallmouth bass in Washington, along with the Columbia River. Other Fishing Reports for Kelso 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