Tues June 20, 2006 I hiked from the Hatchery outlet channel down along the calm, shallow channels on the West side of the main river. It hooks up with the main river after about a 25 minute hike. You have to have waders or be willing to get wet if it's a hot day. I've been warned the water levels can change unexpectedly, so be careful. At this point there's a huge deep pool in the main river. From 5:30pm to 6:30pm I caught/released three cutthroat trout. They were all 10 inches long. I was using small spinners with pieces of dew worm on the hook.
The water is clear in the shallows and dark green/blue in the deeper pools. I read that there might be some summer run Steelhead and Chinook in the lower Chehalis. I did not see anyone else fishing. Bears with cubs are around, so carry a canister of bear spray.
Staff at the Hatchery warned me not to leave anything valuable in my car, because there have been many break-ins. They also said it's better to park just to the side of their parking lot entrance gate, because thieves will think you're working late in the Hatchery. The Hatchery parking lot entrance gate closes at 3:30pm. There are many windows from the main building that face the entrance and main road, so it's too risky for thieves. Parking in the gravel lots near the one-way bridge is not a good idea. Try to park along the road, because there is plenty of local traffic to scare away thieves.
The water is clear in the shallows and dark green/blue in the deeper pools. I read that there might be some summer run Steelhead and Chinook in the lower Chehalis. I did not see anyone else fishing. Bears with cubs are around, so carry a canister of bear spray.
Staff at the Hatchery warned me not to leave anything valuable in my car, because there have been many break-ins. They also said it's better to park just to the side of their parking lot entrance gate, because thieves will think you're working late in the Hatchery. The Hatchery parking lot entrance gate closes at 3:30pm. There are many windows from the main building that face the entrance and main road, so it's too risky for thieves. Parking in the gravel lots near the one-way bridge is not a good idea. Try to park along the road, because there is plenty of local traffic to scare away thieves.