Wynoochee River Fishing Trip Planning

Wynoochee river white bridge boat launch

The Wynoochee River is best known in the sport-fishing community for its contribution to the in-between winter steelhead season, filling the gap between early and late returning winter steelhead for Western Washington steelheaders.

The Wynoochee River originates from the south slopes of the wild and rugged Olympic mountains and winds its way south until it dumps into the Chehalis River near Montesano.

Wynoochee means “shifting”, and flood control has always been a concern on this river.

The Wynoochee Dam was completed in 1974 for flood control and other reasons along with a hydro-electric generation project in 1994. You can read more about it on Tacoma Power’s Wynoochee River Project page here.

Table of Contents

Recent Blog Posts about the Wynoochee River

Wynoochee River Salmon Fishing 2024

Like the Satsop River, salmon fishing on the Wynoochee is primarily focused on coho and chum salmon with chinook playing a minor role in the fishery as retention has not been allowed for some time due to low abundance factors.

A drift boat trip down the Wynoochee can provide excellent angling opportunity for fall salmon.

Updated status on hatchery coho returning to the Wynoochee River

The above graph will update every Thursday typically, with the first coho usually arriving to the hatchery in late September.

When to fish for coho on the Wynoochee River?

Coho will be present in the river in September, but those first decent autumn rains are what gets this run really going. Typically, the peak of coho fishing season will be in late October and into early November. Fishing can be steady and decent all the way into December on most years.

Forecast for 2024 Wynoochee River Coho

Returns of hatchery coho have been fairly steady over the past 10 years, but not nearly the numbers compared to the Satsop River nearby.

How to fish for salmon on the Satsop River?

Some of the most fun bank or drift boat fishing in the fall takes place on smaller rivers like the Satsop with twitching jigs or fishing with spinners. This method will catch both coho and chum and the occasional chinook (that will have to be released).

You could also use the float fishing method with eggs or if you really wanted to get dialed in on chum, a purple/pink jig tipped with a bit of shriimp.

Check out my guide to river fishing for salmon to get more how-to ideas.

Wynoochee River Winter Steelhead Fishing 2023-2024

Like all of the Chehalis River tributaries in the 2023-2024 winter steelhead fishing season, the topic of the Wynoochee River having an open season is the subject of significant controversy.

Unfortunately, despite WDFW having a plan to protect wild steelhead during a mark-selective season on hatchery fish, the decision was made not to open the river again for steelhead fishing.

Updated status on hatchery winter steelhead returning to the Wynoochee River

The above escapement graph updates each week as WDFW publishes weekly escapement numbers from hatchery managers.

When to fish for winter steelhead on the Wynoochee River?

As you can see, the primary harvest opportunity spans from mid-January to early-mid March on most years.

Forecast for the 2023-2024 winter steelhead fishing season on the Wynoochee River

Smolt plants of steelhead on the Wynoochee River have remained steady and even increased slightly in recent years.

Had there been a season in 2024, you could expect decent fishing on par with previous years.

Hatchery winter steelhead returns from 2013-2023

The Wynoochee River has been closed for hatchery winter steelhead harvest from 2022-2024.

How to fish for winter steelhead on the Wynoochee River?

I have several important resources on PNWBestLife.com and the YouTube channel to help you become a better winter steelhead angler.

It all starts with reading water. Check out our guide: How to read water for winter steelhead.

Also, check out the YouTube video.

I’ve also got a complete guide to Winter Steelhead Fishing you should check out and again, an accompanying YouTube video below:

Fishing Regulations on the Wynoochee River for 2023-2024

Species	Date	Additiional Rules
from mouth to WDFW White Bridge access site CRC (337)
All species	Aug. 1-Sept. 30	Selective gear rules.
All species	Oct. 1-Nov. 30	Single-point barbless hooks required.
Trout	Sat. before Memorial Day-Mar. 31	Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout min. size 14”.
Other game fish	Sat. before Memorial Day-Mar. 31	Statewide min. size/daily limit.
Salmon	Oct. 1-Nov. 30	Min. size 12”. Daily limit 6 including no more than 2 adults. Release adult Chinook.
Salmon	Dec. 1-Dec. 31	Min. size 12”. Daily limit 6 including no more than 1 adult. Release Chinook.
from WDFW White Bridge access site to 7400 Line Bridge CRC (337)
All species	Aug. 16-Sept. 15	Single-point barbless hooks required.
All species	Sept. 16-Nov. 30	Single-point barbless hooks required. Bait prohibited.
Trout	Sat. before Memorial Day-Mar. 31	Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout min. size 14”.
Other game fish	Sat. before Memorial Day-Mar. 31	Statewide min. size/daily limit.
from 7400 Line Bridge to 400’ downstream of barrier dam near Grisdale CRC (337)
All species		Selective gear rules.
Trout	Sat. before Memorial Day-Mar. 31	Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout min. size 14”.
Other game fish	Sat. before Memorial Day-Mar. 31	Statewide min. size/daily limit.
400’ downstream from barrier dam near Grisdale to the barrier dam
All species		CLOSED WATERS.
from barrier dam near Grisdale to 400’ downstream of Wynoochee Dam CRC (337)
All species		Selective gear rules.
Trout	Sat. before Memorial Day-Mar. 31	Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout min. size 14”.
Other game fish	Sat. before Memorial Day-Mar. 31	Statewide min. size/daily limit.
from 400’ downstream of Wynoochee Dam to Wynoochee dam
All species		CLOSED WATERS.
upstream of Wynoochee reservoir to Wynoochee Falls CRC (337)
All species		Selective gear rules.
Trout	Sat. before Memorial Day-Mar. 31	Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout min. size 14”.
Other game fish	Sat. before Memorial Day-Mar. 31	Statewide min. size/daily limit.

You should always check WDFW’s Emergency Rules page before you go to ensure you have the latest information about what the regulations are.

We’ve linked the WDFW announcement of “no winter steelhead fishing” above, but you can also find it on that Emergency Rules page.

Conservation and Habitat concerns on the Wynoochee River

The primary conservation concern on the Wynoochee River lately has been related to natural origin winter steelhead.

There are also conservation and habitat concerns for chinook salmon which are still struggling to maintain stable populations.

Returns of these natural origin winter steelhead have missed spawning escapement targets for the last several years sparking concerns among tribal and sport-fishing communities as well as regulatory groups.

You can read more about some of the work being done to restore habitat on the Wynoochee River at the WDFW page on the topic here.

Full time PNW fisherman, hunter and harvester of local foods.

Kyle

Sharing content and insights on sustainable harvest through fishing, hunting, foraging, and shellfish gathering. I have 20+ years of experience building technology solutions and my goal is to build digital solutions to help you, on your learning journey toward more successful harvest recreation. I’ve lived in the PNW most of my life and I have 30+ years of angling experience to share.