The Kalama River is one of the most scenic and fishable rivers in SW Washington that typically offers year around opportunity on hatchery reared, harvestable salmon and steelhead
The Kalama River drains the southwest flanks of Mt St Helens in southwest Washington and winds its way through foothills and timberland until it dumps into the Columbia River just north of the town of Kalama.
The graphs on this page are meant to update automatically each week as the run returns, escapement and catch reports are published. The goal is to provide you reliable trip planning information all in one place.
Updated Status of returning Fall Chinook on the Kalama River
These graphs will automatically update as fish start to return to the hatchery
Historical Run Timing of Fall Chinook on the Kalama River
Forecast for 2023 Kalama River Fall Chinook
Escapement history just counts fish at the hatcheries that report escapement, total runsize combines escapement plus estimated catch of hatchery fish.
Updated Status of returning Fall Chinook on the Kalama River
These graphs will automatically update as fish start to return to the hatchery.
Historical Run Timing of Coho on the Kalama River
Forecast for 2023 Kalama River Coho
Escapement history just counts fish at the hatcheries that report escapement, total runsize combines escapement plus estimated catch of hatchery fish.
Fishing Regulations for Kalama River Salmon 2023
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from mouth to railroad bridge below I-5 CRC (604) | ||
|
Trout |
Year-round |
Min. size 14”. Daily limit 2. |
|
Steelhead (hatchery) |
Year-round |
Min. size 20”. Daily limit 3. |
|
Other game fish |
Year-round |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. |
|
Salmon |
Jan. 1-July 31 |
Min. size 12”. Daily limit 6 including no more than 2 adults. Release all salmon other than hatchery Chinook and hatchery coho. |
|
Aug. 1-Dec. 31 |
Min. size 12”. Daily limit 6 including no more than 3 adults. Release all salmon other than hatchery Chinook and hatchery coho. | |
|
from the railroad bridge below I-5 to Modrow Bridge CRC (604) | ||
|
All species |
Apr. 1-Oct. 31 |
Night closure. Anti-snagging rule. |
|
Year-round |
CLOSED WATERS – from Modrow Bridge downstream to a set of markers approximately 1000’ below the temporary rack, while rack is installed in the river below Modrow Bridge. | |
|
Trout |
Year-round |
Min. size 14”. Daily limit 2. |
|
Steelhead (hatchery) |
Year-round |
Min. size 20”. Daily limit 3. |
|
Other game fish |
Year-round |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. |
|
Salmon |
Jan. 1-July 31 |
Min. size 12”. Daily limit 6 including no more than 2 adults. Release all salmon other than hatchery Chinook and hatchery coho. |
|
Aug. 1-Dec. 31 |
Min. size 12”. Daily limit 6 including no more than 3 adults. Release all salmon other than hatchery Chinook and hatchery coho. | |
|
from upstream of the Modrow Bridge to the natural gas pipeline crossing CRC (603) | ||
|
All species |
Internal combustion motors prohibited. | |
|
Apr. 1-Oct. 31 |
Night closure. Anti-snagging rule. | |
|
Trout |
Year-round |
Min. size 14”. Daily limit 2. |
|
Steelhead (hatchery) |
Year-round |
Min. size 20”. Daily limit 3. |
|
Other game fish |
Year-round |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. |
|
Salmon |
Jan. 1-July 31 |
Min. size 12”. Daily limit 6 including no more than 2 adults. Release all salmon other than hatchery Chinook and hatchery coho. |
|
Aug. 1-Dec. 31 |
Min. size 12”. Daily limit 6 including no more than 3 adults. Release all salmon other than hatchery Chinook and hatchery coho. | |
|
from the natural gas pipeline crossing to the deadline at the intake to the Fallert Creek Hatchery CRC (603) | ||
|
All species |
Internal combustion motors prohibited. | |
|
Apr. 1-Oct. 31 |
Anti-snagging rule. Night closure. | |
|
Sept. 1-Oct. 31 |
Fly fishing only, except use of barbed hooks is allowed. | |
|
Trout |
Year-round |
Min. size 14”. Daily limit 2. |
|
Steelhead (hatchery) |
Year-round |
Min. size 20”. Daily limit 3. |
|
Other game fish |
Year-round |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. |
|
Salmon |
Jan. 1-July 31 |
Min. size 12”. Daily limit 6 including no more than 2 adults. Release all salmon other than hatchery Chinook and hatchery coho. |
|
Aug. 1-Dec. 31 |
Min. size 12”. Daily limit 6 including no more than 3 adults. Release all salmon other than hatchery Chinook and hatchery coho. | |
|
from intake of the Fallert Creek Hatchery to 1,000’ below fishway at Kalama Falls Hatchery CRC (603) | ||
|
All species |
Internal combustion motors prohibited. | |
|
Trout |
Year-round |
Min. size 14”. Daily limit 2. |
|
Steelhead (hatchery) |
Year-round |
Min. size 20”. Daily limit 3. |
|
Other game fish |
Year-round |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. |
|
Salmon |
Jan. 1-July 31 |
Min. size 12”. Daily limit 6 including no more than 2 adults. Release all salmon other than hatchery Chinook and hatchery coho. |
|
Aug. 1-Dec. 31 |
Min. size 12”. Daily limit 6 including no more than 3 adults. Release all salmon other than hatchery Chinook and hatchery coho. | |
|
from 1,000’ below fishway to 1,000’ above fishway at Kalama Falls Hatchery | ||
|
All species |
CLOSED WATERS. | |
|
from 1,000’ above fishway at Kalama Falls hatchery upstream to Summers Creek CRC (602) | ||
|
All species |
Selective gear rules, except barbed hooks are allowed. | |
|
Trout |
Year-round |
Min. size 14”. Daily limit 2. |
|
Steelhead (hatchery) |
Year-round |
Min. size 20”. Daily limit 3. |
|
Other game fish |
Year-round |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. |
|
from Summers Creek upstream to the intersection of 6000 and 6420 Rds. CRC (602) | ||
|
All species |
Fly fishing only, except barbed hooks are allowed. | |
|
Trout |
Year-round |
Min. size 14”. Daily limit 2. |
|
Steelhead (hatchery) |
Year-round |
Min. size 20”. Daily limit 3. |
|
Other game fish |
Year-round |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. |
|
from the intersection of 6000 and 6420 Rds. to 6600 Rd. Bridge immediately downstream of Jacks Creek CRC (602) | ||
|
All species |
Selective gear rules, except barbed hooks are allowed. | |
|
Trout |
Sat. before Memorial Day-Nov. 30 |
Min. size 14”. Daily limit 2. |
|
Steelhead (hatchery) |
Sat. before Memorial Day-Nov. 30 |
Min. size 20”. Daily limit 3. |
|
Other game fish |
Sat. before Memorial Day-Nov. 30 |
Statewide min. size/daily limit. |
|
from 6600 Rd. Bridge (just downstream of Jacks Creek) to Kalama Falls and tributaries | ||
|
All species |
CLOSED WATERS. | |
If you are reading the above regulations prior to July 1st, they may be out of date (reflecting the prior year) and you should consult WDFW for the permanent regulations, this message will be removed once the current year regulations are reflected here
Emergency Fishing Regulations for Kalama River Salmon 2023
The above permanent regulations for the Kalama River are subject to change at any time and without being updated on this blog. One must consult the WDFW Emergency Regulations before any trips to ensure they are in full compliance with state laws regulating fisheries.
How to fish for Salmon on the Kalama River
The Kalama River is one of southwest Washington’s best kept secrets and offers decent fishing 12 months of the year, not least of which takes place in the fall.
One of the ways I judge a river fishing opportunity, is I look at the average cfs the flow of the river and compare that to the numbers of returning salmon. The Kalama River really shines by this measurement and that translates to many holes along the river being filled with a mix of chinook and coho throughout the fall season.
The Kalama River offers many bank accessible fishing holes from the confluence with the Columbia River to deep into the canyon, up to the hatchery.
You should approach fishing the Kalama River like you would fish any small, well defined salmon river, which means floating eggs through deeper slower water and tossing spinners and twitching jigs for those coho and even chinook.
Here’s a video on twitching jigs that can help you get started:
Below are some links to buy rods and reels on Amazon, as an Amazon associate, we make a small commission if you use these links, which is a great way to support the blog content and you pay the same price on Amazon regardless.
In terms of a rod for tossing jigs, I like to use this one:
Checkout my guide to fishing spinners for salmon here and take a look at the below rod recommendations:
In terms of the perfect rod for throwing spinners, I would go with the below rod:
Pair either of the above rods with the below spinning reel:
If you’re interested in a guide to float fishing for salmon, check here.
If you’re looking for a good float rod, I would recommend reading my article about the best fishing rod for salmon as I break down my favorite rod specs. However, if you’re just looking for a helpful link on Amazon, here you go:
Pair the above rod with the below casting reel and you have a great setup!
