Smelt dipping round two is tomorrow. This time, let’s just hope there are some smelt in the river. The first opportunity this year on Wednesday was a total dud, with pretty much no smelt being caught.
Dip-netting is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. As a reminder, starting this year, a valid Washington fishing license is required to dip smelt for those ages 15 and over.
Remember, you can only dip-net from the Cowlitz River Bridge over Tennant Way upstream to the Al Helenberg Memorial Boat Ramp, which is about a quarter of a mile from the PH-10 Bridge in Castle Rock.
The daily limit for smelt is 10 pounds, which fills about a quarter of a 5-gallon bucket. Each dipper is required to have their own bucket with their name on it.








