Waters · United States
Cowlitz River (Castle Rock) fishing report
Updated Tuesday, 25 August 2026 · refreshed automatically through the day
The Cowlitz is a hatchery river by design: returns to the Barrier Dam facility drive the whole fishery, and the lower river at Castle Rock intercepts those fish on the way up.
Today's report: poor (39/100)
Chinook salmon is the most promising species on Cowlitz River (Castle Rock) today. Water temperature is around 17.6°C and barometric pressure is stable. Gauge COWLITZ RIVER AT CASTLE ROCK, WA shows the water level rising (1 cm/24h).
Cowlitz River (Castle Rock) water temperature and flow
- Discharge: 73.6 m³/s (2,599 cfs) — up 3% over 24 hours
- Level trend: rising (1 cm/24h)
Measured at gauge COWLITZ RIVER AT CASTLE ROCK, WA · reading 34 min ago. Published by the national hydrological service, not estimated by us.
Best time to fish today
- 06:00–08:00 local time — score 38/100
- 00:00–02:00 local time — score 42/100
- 03:00–05:00 local time — score 47/100
3-day outlook by species
| Species | Tuesday 25 Aug | Wednesday 26 Aug | Thursday 27 Aug |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steelhead | 21 — poor | 24 — poor | 28 — poor |
| Chinook salmon | 39 — poor | 50 — fair | 55 — fair |
| Coho salmon | 35 — poor | 43 — fair | 48 — fair |
Why this score
Cast & Scan uses a deterministic, published scoring model — no black box. The strongest influences on today's Cowlitz River (Castle Rock) rating:
- light: helping (+1)
- precipitation: helping (+0.9)
- wind: helping (+0.75)
- season: helping (+0.7)
- pressure trend: helping (+0.6)
- river flow: helping (+0.6)
Forecast computed Tue, 25 Aug 2026 11:03:54 GMT · data: Open-Meteo + gauge COWLITZ RIVER AT CASTLE ROCK, WA · refreshed automatically through the day · see our published accuracy
Scan your exact spot
This page rates a representative point on Cowlitz River (Castle Rock). Bays, river mouths and depth changes can fish very differently — open the scanner, drop a pin on your exact swim and get a spot-specific forecast with tactics. Free, in the browser, no signup.
Wondering how this stacks up against the apps you already know? Cast & Scan vs Fishbrain vs BassForecast — an honest comparison, including where they beat us.
Nearby waters
- Sandy River (Bull Run) — Oregon, USA (105 km away)
- Deschutes River (Sherars Falls) — Oregon, USA (184 km away)
- Yakima River (Union Gap) — Washington, USA (190 km away)
- John Day River (Lower) — Oregon, USA (208 km away)