Where to Fish in the Hood River area - East Fork Lewis River

Part of our series on fishing locally in the Hood River/Columbia Gorge area.

Species:  Cutthroat, rainbow trout

Seasons:  Late May - October 31.

The East Fork of the Lewis River is becoming a very popular trout fishery.  This river starts on a plateau near Mt Adams, and flows south of Mt St Helens into Swift Reservoir near the town of Cougar, WA.  This is near Mt. St. Helens.  It is a big drive from Hood River, but it is popular enough that we need to include it in our series.

This area is known as the Dark Divide and is one of the most remote, deeply forested and uninhabited areas in the US.

The most popular area of the East Fork is Lower Lewis Falls.  This amazing waterfall has a nice campground next to it as well as some great river access. It is very popular.  There is a trail that follows the river 10 miles downstream as well as 6 miles upstream from the falls. Most of the fishing happens around the falls area as that is where the best river access is.  

Access outside of the campground is mediocre and may require scrambling and hiking before you ever see the water, although there are several sorta "secret" pullouts that you might not notice at first.  Accessing the trail from Lower Falls is by far the best and most popular option for fishing.

There is also some access at Eagle Cliffs bridge, which is where the river meets the lake.  There is a bridge over a large gravel bar that is very popular with anglers. Its a nice place to start or end your day, but its a long drive from here to only fish under a bridge.

This river has become so popular that a reservation is required before accessing the river.  Each access spot has its own pass and you must stay at the location designated on you pass.  This is definitely a deterrent when I am thinking about where I want to fish next weekend, but it has cut down on the crowds so that this river won't become loved to death.  Passes can be purchased in advance at recreation.gov

This river has both cutthroat and rainbow trout present.  These fish do not grow to big sizes, but they do love dry flies and there are a lot of them.  There are also bull trout present in the river.  Angling for bull trout is strictly prohibited.  I know more than one person who has received a hefty ticket for targeting bulls on the EF Lewis, including one that was caught months after stupidly posting a video of it to youtube. 

Its actually a bit of a comical thing, because there are so many videos of people targeting bull trout at Eagle Cliff Bridge.  I personally know the old WDFW enforcement agent that told me his job is so much easier now that people post their crimes to youtube.

This gorgeous little creek is worth the effort of making a reservation, especially if you have never been there.  The scenery is outstanding, the river is easy to wade, easy to fish and is typically pretty productive. Give it a shot.