Flowing about 96 miles from Mount Adams to the Columbia River at Lyle, the Klickitat is famous for some of Washington’s hardest-fighting summer steelhead and fall Chinook. It’s a 2.5- to 3-hour drive from Seattle through the scenic Columbia River Gorge, and its glacial source keeps the water cold, milky and quick to change.
Seattle Fishing Company’s guide walks through each season. Summer steelhead season typically opens in June, with fish building through summer. Fall is the standout window, as Chinook and peak steelhead numbers overlap in September and October, giving anglers a shot at both on the same trip, and trophy steelhead often arrive into November. Spring offers a limited Chinook fishery, while winter is largely an off-season.
Most anglers focus on the lower 18 miles between Lyle and the town of Klickitat, where Highway 142 provides easy pullout access and several boat ramps make float trips simple. Lyle Falls near the mouth is a popular bank-only spot. The guide also recommends spinners, spoons, bobbers with soft beads and plugs, and stresses checking regulations often, since hatchery broodstock needs and Yakama Nation treaty fisheries can change the rules.
Read the full post here: Fishing the Klickitat River
Guide to fishing on the Puyallup River
