The Kalama River Falls Hatchery (8 ?? miles up Kalama River Road from I-5) has already recorded a dozen or so winter hatchery Steelhead. We've heard of one angler hooking two and landing one last Saturday. The average winter hatchery run here is between 800-1500 fish. The run will peak around Christmas ~ 1st week of January, and with the river only 45 min away from Downtown Portland, the Kalama makes the most sense if chasing dime bright steel' without having a boat or pontoon. River access for the walk and wade angler is great. ????Also, keep in mind that very few stray fish pass the hatchery, so fishing upstream makes little sense.

Large Native fish will start to show in the Kalama from mid to late January. The river is blown as of this morning, and with heavy rains in the forecast expect conditions to worsen. However, pay attention to the 1st break in the weather. 48+ hours after the rain stops, the river is usually back to "fly fishing condition".

For best results we recommend dead drifting Glo-bugs in Pink, Hot Pink, or Pale shrimp colored or if the water is borderline fishable, try a Purple or Blue Glo-bug! Dirty, ain't it? ??Dead drifting Beads in 8mm and 10 mm is another great "fly-fishing" technique. Stop by the shop to see how to rig a Glo-bug with a bead dropper.??

Swinging to these fish will require a sink tip and leech. Don't over dress your leeches.

The B-run Coho's are done for the year. The upper hatchery disposed 200 as of this morning. You might encounter some dark fish but most of these make a poor game fish this late in the year.

Other SW Washington options are the Cowlitz and the E.F Lewis. Both these river receive early winter hatchery steelhead as well. Both rivers have some great swinging runs, but again, most fish are taken on Glo-bugs.