By Doug Rose

My brother's house is across the road from some of the best winter steelhead water on the East Fork of the Lewis River. This gives Scott a view of the comings and goings of anglers, and it provides a nearly foolproof strategy for determining when to go fishing.

When several rigs are parked across the road, it is an indication there are at least fish around. When vehicles have been parked there several days in a row, it is a good sign someone is catching fish. And when Scott sees anglers lugging winter-run steelhead to their trucks, it's time to go fishing.

Not everyone has as cozy a situation as my brother for predicting the best times for intercepting Lewis River's steelhead. Most of us have to depend upon contacts along the rivers, or on tackle store proprietors, newspapers, magazines and the Internet for information. Veteran anglers also rely on their personal knowledge of the run timing of hatchery fish and wild steelhead. Word of mouth is important, especially when anglers want to travel outside of their area of experience. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's sport-catch records also provide a quantitative analysis of harvest on the state's rivers, and it compares and ranks the more productive rivers.

Whichever way you measure it, southwest Washington's Lewis River System, which includes its North Fork, East Fork and Lewis mainstem, has been one of the Evergreen State's most productive and dependable winter steelhead destinations.

Until lower Columbia River tributaries fell on hard times during the early 1990s, the East Fork and North Fork both typically ranked among the Top 10 winter steelhead rivers in the state. In addition to impressive numbers, the Lewis System is also well known for the size of its fish. Indeed, the Washington record winter steelhead is a 32-pound 12-ounce East Fork behemoth taken in 1980.

The Lewis is one of only a handful of systems in the region that historically hosted roughly equal numbers of both wild summer and winter steelhead. It also supported strong returns of the "springer," which are among the most celebrated in the region.

Photo by Richard Grost

Like most Northwest steelhead rivers, the Lewis System has had its ups and downs in recent year. Its wild steelhead are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. As hatchery returns fell off and restrictive regulations were implemented to protect wild fish, harvest numbers fell significantly. Twenty years ago, the East Fork turned out more than 2,500 winter steelhead, and the North Fork kicked in another 1,500 fish. Those numbers had fallen to 1,400 total by the 1999/2000 season, and the annual harvest has hovered around 1,500 since then. However, that has more than kept pace with other western Washington rivers, and returns of hatchery fish have increased since ocean conditions became more favorable a few years ago. During that 1999/2000 season, the Lewis System was the fifth most productive in Washington. In recent years, about 100,000 winter steelhead smolts have been released into the East Fork, and the North Fork has received between 100,000 and 125,000 smolts.

Perhaps the Lewis River System's most appealing feature is its ability to satisfy virtually every type of angler and type of gear. Plunkers are drawn to the tidally influenced lower mainstem Lewis and adjacent beaches on the Columbia River. The North Fork is popular with boat anglers, who fish bait or plugs, and it also turns out good numbers of fish for wading steelheaders. The East Fork offers even more diversity, with an abundance of water that is ideal for conventional steelheading techniques, but it also contains areas that are perfect for swinging flies or throwing spinners or spoons.

Anglers who learn how to fish the lower river, however, have a shot at some of the freshest and brightest steelhead around. The mainstem is affected by the tides on the Columbia and is largely the realm of plunkers and anglers in powerboats.

The broad sand bars at the mouth of the Lewis and on the Columbia River to the north are ideal plunking waters. They are accessible from Woodland via Whalen Road and Dike Road, while Kunnis Road crosses the river a short distance upstream. As in other areas, plunkers tend to favor fairly strong and stiff rods, typically 8 1/2 feet and rated for 12- to 25-pound line; Ambassadeur 5000 and 6000 are popular reels. Plunkers usually fish two lines off the main line, with eggs or sand shrimp on one dropper and a Spin-n-Glo or Hot Shot on the other. The droppers are usually 18 to 36 inches long and are attached to the mainline with a three-way swivel. Pyramid sinkers up to 8 ounces or more are employed to hold the offering securely on the bottom. Plunking is a convivial style of fishing, with anglers tending to gather in groups around fires, while they listen to Seahawks or Trailblazer games on boom boxes.

The Lewis River mainstem is also popular with fishermen in motorized boats, who fish the tidally influenced water downstream of I-5. Launches are available at Paradise Point State Park, near the mouth of the East Fork, and there is also a state ramp off Pekin Road, which is accessible from Woodland. There are also launches at the mouth of the Lewis off Dike Road that provide access to the entire length of the mainstem. Back-bouncing and bait divers are popular on the mainstem.