More: Bass Fishing: Simple How-To Techniques and Tips. It is well worth the effort to learn the lake. Use your favorite Kokanee flasher and a pink or chartreuse wedding ring or spoon. I've found the most success with a worm and a piece of shoepeg corn cured pink. Unlike the reservoirs in either direction, Riffe isnt typically managed as a trout fishery. Its coming soon. Of course these should only be used as indicators combined with your own past fishing experience fishing on the banks of Riffe Lake.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'fishingproreport_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_0',118,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-fishingproreport_com-medrectangle-3-0'); It's common knowlege cloud cover is an angler's best friend. A lot of fun. Winter is the hardest time because fish are offshore and slow moving. For one, Riffe runs cold and smallmouths are native to more northerly climates than largemouths. These triploids will be a blast to catch on light tackle! 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. May 11, 2015 - Riffle Lake. The best coho fishing here tends to be from mid-spring to early summer, and for good reason. I fish .8-1.2 mph. Winter Steelhead are starting to show up in the Kalama river. Wind from the East, fish bite the least. Rooster tails, flatfish lures, and small pink hoochies are great options. Bull trout Overall, boaters have a clear advantage in a huge water like Riffe Lake, with a good ramp at Mossyrock Park on the southwest end and more launches around Taidnapam Park and Kosmos on the east end. You can check Tacoma Public Utilities access page for current access at Riffe and its other recreation areas. Riffe Lake, historically known as Mossyrock Lake then as Davisson Lake, is a reservoir formed by Mossyrock Dam. Bullhead catfish also are available in good numbers and decent sizes at Riffe, and actually taste better than you might think from these cool waters. Riffe is best known for its resident coho and smallmouth bass fishing. Still fishing and trolling are both good options for boaters. The state record rainbow trout was a 30 pounder out of Rufus Woods Reservoir. The browns of any size are not here in volume, but theyll occasional hit a trolled lure, some bait, or even a bass crankbait. Some anglers will keep releasing fish to try to include a Chinook or two in their bag limit. Kokanee aka: Land locked salmon with a wedding rings. Many fishermen argue over the best bait to use. Its less so about the direction but the cause for the direction. Only Hatchery Salmon and Steelhead may be retained. South blows bait in their mouth.. It's more of a wife tail but always fun to recollect. ps. View Fishing Details, For March: Boat launches at the east end (Kosmos and Taidnapam Park) are not usable during low-water periods. The release drew the attention of a dozen eagles, Pryor says, but he believes the fish will have spread throughout the lake by now. Winter is the most difficult season in which to catch Bluegill, but persistent anglers can find them in schools of like-sized fish offshore. Our recommendation is based on aspects about the weather conditions, moon phase & water conditions. In the winter when water conditions are good some Bank fishing by the dam with a sliding bobber with Shrimp and worms can also produce fish. Learn More, 02/05/2023 At the upper (east) end of the reservoir, Taidnapam Park includes a very popular campground that often requires reservations well in advance. 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. The North Fork Lewis: Steelhead fishing has been good and should continue to get better as we get into February and March. Coastal cutthroat trout also are native to the Cowlitz and its tributaries and occasionally make their way into the reservoir, where they can be caught to nice size. There are a number of similar sized lakes relatively close to Riffe Lake, including Well cover this more in a blog post soon but for Riffe Lake on Sun 5th March will be from a south easterly direction which means fishing is poor. At an elevation of 774 ft. and 11325.9 acres, it's home to several species of fish, including bluegill, brown trout, coho salmon, black crappie, brown bullhead, chinook salmon, smallmouth bass and coastal cutthroat trout (resident). If they get past the fish collector at Cowlitz Falls Dam (Lake Scanewa) upriver, its a very short swim to Riffe, where they are stopped by Mossyrock Dam and turn the big reservoir into their mini ocean. In other words, for a year or two anyway, Riffe Lake has excellent rainbow trout fishing. Get information about river flows and lake levels at MyTPU.org/LakeLevels. Learn More, 02/05/2023 Most of my big fish were caught in 300 feet of water 30 feet on the rigger. Join for free today to access the capability once available. We reserve the right to correct pricing errors. It runs parallel to the vehicle bridge for Champion Haul Road. Wind from the East, fish bite the least. To better understand fishing patterns, conditions to predict ferocity of fishable events and locations. Mossyrock Park, near the west end on the south side of the dam, has camping facilities that can be reserved by calling (360) 983-3900. - Available by the dam and at theTaidnapam Park fishing bridge. The go-to baits are nightcrawler (or a piece), corn and shrimp, or combinations of two of the three, according to Lip Rippers Fishing Adventures. Many fishermen argue over the best bait to use. Other Fishing Reports for Kelso Horseshoe Lake Good It's a good idea to call Tacoma Power or check their website for current water levels. Remember, regulations are there to protect fish species and enable fishing for generations to come. Riffe covers more than 11,000 acres at full pool (typically in the spring), making it the largest non-Columbia River reservoir in Washington. But here's the kicker, I flat lined a rod 150ft back using a 2 inch mag . Station Notes. We left the bay around 11am with a great load of mixed sized sardine and mackerel. Winds may gust up to 5mph. If you are targeting the browns, try using lures that imitate smaller fish, which are a favorite brown trout forage. Rainbow and cutthroat trout are also available. 2 lb. 2023 Fishidy. Others use yellow corn or a piece of shrimp. There is no need to wait for fall salmon runs if you're craving some smoked salmon! Click here for the latest 7 day fishing weather forecast for Riffe Lake . There are a tremendous amount of options for bait. First time fishing Riffe Lake. Swofford pond is open year round and offers a boat launch, but combustion engines are not allowed. The average temperature will be 35F during the day. There are no Kokanee in Riffe Lake. Wind from the North, do not go forth. If you want easy access to bank, pier and boat fishing, this is a spot to consider. Center: 46.477388, -122.295061 But they werent exactly meant to be let loose in the lake more like Puget Sound netpens instead. swear their catch improves when the moon is in a "New" or "Full" moon phase. 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. Those fish spawn upstream, and then their young migrate downstream. They also are great fighters for their size, prone to making strong runs and sometimes spectacular leaps. It's a good idea to call Tacoma Power or check their website for current water levels. This is a great opportunity to net yourself a huge trout in Riffe Lake! 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. They looked like alien creatures that had crawled out of the water. Kress Lake: Trout was recently stocked with over 2,000 rainbow trout and also surplus Steelhead. Best technique use Arrow Flash dodgers and lake trolls with a wedding ring or a Look for the ledges and fish the edges of those. Riffe Lake provides good shoreline access and a number of boat launches. Learn More, 02/05/2023 Its less so about the direction but the cause for the direction. The Columbia River: Near Longview is open for hatchery Salmon and Steelhead. 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. Smallmouth bass are savage hunters that feed on crayfish, smaller fish and other prey that comes their way. From Interstate 5 near Napavine, expect the drive to Riffe to be between 30 minutes and an hour heading east on Highway 12 past Mossyrock, depending on which part of the big reservoir you go to. Try starting out by the dam and keep a close eye on your fishfinder. If that time won't work for you, 12:00AM to 12:00AM looks promising. If you live in Mossyrock or Morton you're less than She enjoys both freshwater and saltwater fishing adventures in the Puget Sound area with her fishing group, the Straw Hat Fishermen. The average temperature will be 31F during the day. The launch at Mossyrock Park is usually a good bet year round. In my week camping there I caught fish every time I went out and they were good quality fish. We're building software in our members area to tell you. The wind is an ever constant companion if you are a kayaker or have a very small boat so plan accordingly.If you have never been to this lake get out there. Buoy 10 to Tongue point and the Ocean area 1 Crabbing off the jetty and in the lower Columbia is good! from a south easterly direction which means fishing is poor. Summer is a slight lull, while Fall sees an improvement as waters cool, vegetation dies back, and prey becomes more available. Every great once in a while a really big brown trout is taken here (anglers report 10-plus pounders), and there also are scattered numbers of rainbow and cutthroat trout. 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 . Its less so about the direction but the cause for the direction. 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. View Fishing Details. 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. I hope you will give me some answers. Other lures sometimes fish best without bait, including spinners, spoons and wobbling lures like bright FlatFish. Should be good it's the end of the winter season. This is a massive, 13 mile long lake, so finding the fish is the most time consuming part. 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. Anglers, usually after the land-locked coho but occasional catching other salmon or trout, dangle baits down into the water some 40 feet below. I'm sure you've heard of the old sying: Wind from the West, fish bite the best. Riffle Lake Fishing Reports Recently shared catches and fishing spots. Unfortunately, recent reports suggest that the sheer numbers and voracious appetites of the triploid trout might be reducing forage and stunting normal growth rates for the coho, which anglers say seem to be shorter and skinnier than usual for this point in the season. The famous Riffe Lake cocktail is a combination of a piece of corn, a worm, and a salad shrimp. Bullheads often will like siltier bottoms found in coves and shallows. Took us a couple of hrs to figure out that I really did need to use Kokanee gear and not my standard trout plugs or fast speed. We are seeing schools of Bluefin Tuna of various sizes. Fishing reports and forecasts for ~10,000 streams and lakes and rivers across North America and the United Kingdom. With green lights on all accounts, on April 7, 8 and 9 404,908 triploids were hauled via flatbed semi trailer up Highway 12 to the dam and the Kosmos area, at the upper end of the reservoir. and susceptible to feeding meaning an opportunity for you to nab a catch. Best Fishing Times: 12:00AM to 12:00AM Alternate Fishing Times: 12:00AM to 12:00AM Fishing Mossyrock Dam, WA on 1/26/2023 will be best from 12:00AM through 12:00AM. For shore bound anglers, there is access on both sides of the dam as well as at the fishing bridge near Taidnapam Park. Just west of the ramp is an Island and the deep water off of that island butts up agains a flat. Troll a little faster than you would for rainbow trout, and make sure those lures and flashers are spinning. Two weeks ago, Washington state governor Jay Inslee announced the re-opening of state parks and hunting. Riffe is best known for its resident coho and smallmouth bass fishing. Coho Salmon with a Fisherman Catcher - Pink Hoochie. This is a fun experience, even just to watch. A few days later, WDFW announced the release of over 400,000 triploid trout into Riffe Lake. Required fields are marked *. Prices and optons are listed including non resident fishing licenses. Please ensure to adhere to the fishing regulations for the state. The Fish Report - March 1st 2023. Recommended gear for trolling a hoochie or wedding ring spinner about a foot behind an Arrow flasher, tip hooks with shrimp. Try playing around with herring and shrimp scents on your lures. After spawning and as the waters warm, smallmouth bass are likely to move into somewhat deeper water but will still be relatively high in the water column, probably in 10 to 20 feet or less in most cases, although bright mid-day sunlight may push them deeper. We're giving away a $25 VISA Gift Card each week to one lucky angler. Kokanee 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. Triploids are sterile and put their energy into growing instead of spawning. Learn More, Get Special Offers Delivered Right to Your Inbox. The lake also has several camping areas available. Taidnapam North boat launch is closed. Speaking from experience, these salmon are expert bait stealers.Bank Fishing for Coho and ChinookThe most popular shore fishing here is at the deep waters on either side of Mossyrock Dam or the fishing bridge at Taidnapam Park. Despite being well over 20 miles long with tons of shoreline, bank access isnt as good as you might think. An somewhat popular lake, there has been many reports by anglers at Riffe Lake over the past few years. This means if you're planning of fishing at night then #4.25.5. . Fishing is best for Coastal Cutthroat in the spring and fall. Northern pikeminnow I only used Shoepeg corn with NTO Scent Spinner in white trout sized with Seahawk colored beads pulled behind an Arrowflash dodger. Wind from the North, do not go forth. However, a delay from the state Department of Ecology in permitting Cookes plan to raise rainbow/steelhead instead and the imminent shutdown of their hatchery due to the coronavirus crisis, meant the fish had to go or otherwise be destroyed, like two previous batches.