Lake fishing has been a rather poor way to consistently put fish on the dinner table lately. Last week was no exception. Few anglers reported any fish being caught at any of the lakes around here.
Mayfield Lake angling has been picking up a little during the past few weeks as the water clears and the weather warms up a bit. Bank anglers at the Mossyrock Trout Hatchery are catching a few nice rainbows now and then, but there doesn't seem to be much of a pattern to their success.
The reservoir level in Mayfield has been fluctuating up and down several feet on a daily basis. Most anglers at the trout hatchery indicate that they have better success when the water level is rising and near the upper limit. Few fish are reported caught at that location when a lot of shoreline is exposed.
A couple of anglers keep trying to catch a fish in Riffe Lake. Giles Blue, of Eatonville, makes one or two trips to Mossyrock Dam each week to see if the bite is improving.
"The only fish caught here this week were by the biggest otter I've ever seen and a couple of cormorants," said Blue.
A single small boat was observed early this week trolling back and forth along the buoy line in front of Mossyrock Dam. The anglers had carried the boat down to the water from the parking area on the south end of Mossyrock Dam.
At the upper end of Riffe Lake, the low reservoir level means the Cowlitz River is flowing freely under the 108 Bridge at Taidnapam Park. Although no one was fishing there early this week, it might be a place that is worth a try.
At times during the late winter and early spring, anglers fishing in the current just above the slack water of the reservoir do quite well.
The Cowlitz River is running clear at the upper end of Riffe Lake and the reservoir itself is beginning to clear up nicely. At Mossyrock Dam, however, the water is still very cloudy from sediment left over from November floods.
At South County Pond, big steelhead can be seen jumping once in awhile. That adds a certain amount of excitement to the fishing there, but anglers are still struggling to get them to bite.
Only one steelhead was recorded caught during creel checks by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife personnel last week.
Buddy Rose is a lifelong outdoor sportsman and resource professional in Lewis County. He brings an extensive background of experience and practical knowledge to his weekly writings in the "Outdoors" section. Rose can be reached at buddy_rose@hotmail.com.
