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Chehalis River

The rule for this water, with the receipt.

Specific sections have their own rules, listed below

Grays Harbor/Lewis County · River · WA

Has its own special rules
How to read this page:Official text quoted regulationParsed fields from the ruleDerived calculated from rulesContext conditions, not a ruleAdvice our suggestion

The rules for this water, verbatimOfficial text

Straight from WA's official regulations. Rules in force today lead; out-of-season rows are dimmed. Nothing is paraphrased. Not legal advice: verify the posted rules at the water.

The reach you are on
CRC 316from the mouth (Hwy. 101 Bridge in Aberdeen) to Hwy. 107 bridge in Montesano including all channels, sloughs, and interconnected waterways
  • All speciesAug. 1-Dec. 31
    2-Pole allowed.
  • All speciesAug. 1-Nov. 30
    Single-point barbless hooks required. Night closure.
  • TroutSat. before Memorial Day-Oct. 31
    Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout: min. size 14".
  • Other game fishSat. before Memorial Day-Mar. 31
    Statewide min. size/daily limit.
  • SalmonSept. 16-Oct. 31
    Min. size 12". Daily limit 6 including no more than 2 adults. Release adult Chinook.
Rules for other dates
  • All speciesJan. 1-Mar. 31 - does not apply today
    Selective gear rules.
  • TroutNov. 1-Mar. 31 - does not apply today
    Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Release cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout.
  • SalmonAug. 1-Sept. 15 - does not apply today
    Min. size 12". Daily limit 6. Release adults.
  • SalmonNov. 1-Dec. 31 - does not apply today
    Min. size 12". Daily limit 6 including no more than 2 adults. Release Chinook.
Other reaches in this official entry
CRC 317from Hwy. 107 bridge in Montesano to Fuller Bridge (Keys Rd.) including all channels, sloughs, and interconnected waterways
  • All speciesAug. 1-Nov. 30
    Single-point barbless hooks required. Night closure.
  • All speciesAug. 1-Dec. 31
    2-Pole allowed.
  • TroutSat. before Memorial Day-Oct. 31
    Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout: min. size 14".
  • Other game fishSat. before Memorial Day-Mar. 31
    Statewide min. size/daily limit.
  • SalmonSept. 16-Oct. 31
    Min. size 12". Daily limit 6 including no more than 2 adults. Release adult Chinook.
Rules for other dates
  • All speciesJan. 1-Mar. 31 - does not apply today
    Selective gear rules.
  • TroutNov. 1-Mar. 31 - does not apply today
    Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Release cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout.
  • SalmonAug. 1-Sept. 15 - does not apply today
    Min. size 12". Daily limit 6. Release adults.
  • SalmonNov. 1-Dec. 31 - does not apply today
    Min. size 12". Daily limit 6 including no more than 2 adults. Release Chinook.
CRC 317from Fuller Bridge (Keys Rd.) to South Elma Bridge (Wakefield Rd.) including all channels, sloughs, and interconnected waterways
  • All speciesAug. 1-Dec. 31
    2-Pole allowed.
  • All speciesAug. 1-Nov. 30
    Single-point barbless hooks required.
  • TroutSat. before Memorial Day-Oct. 31
    Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout: min. size 14".
  • Other game fishSat. before Memorial Day-Mar. 31
    Statewide min. size/daily limit.
  • SalmonOct. 1-Oct. 31
    Min. size 12". Daily limit 6 including no more than 2 adults. Release adult Chinook.
Rules for other dates
  • All speciesJan. 1-Mar. 31 - does not apply today
    Selective gear rules.
  • All speciesAug. 1-Sept. 15 - does not apply today
    Bait prohibited.
  • TroutNov. 1-Mar. 31 - does not apply today
    Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Release cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout.
  • SalmonAug. 1-Sept. 15 - does not apply today
    Min. size 12". Daily limit 6. Release adults.
  • SalmonSept. 16-Sept. 30 - does not apply today
    Closed.
  • SalmonNov. 1-Dec. 31 - does not apply today
    Min. size 12". Daily limit 6 including no more than 2 adults. Release Chinook.
CRC 317from South Elma Bridge (Wakefield Rd.) to the Black River
  • All speciesAug. 1-Nov. 30
    Single-point barbless hooks required.
  • TroutSat. before Memorial Day-Oct. 31
    Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout: min. size 14".
  • Other game fishSat. before Memorial Day-Mar. 31
    Statewide min. size/daily limit.
  • SalmonOct. 1-Oct. 31
    Min. size 12". Daily limit 6 including no more than 2 adults. Release adult Chinook.
Rules for other dates
  • All speciesJan. 1-Mar. 31 - does not apply today
    Selective gear rules.
  • TroutNov. 1-Mar. 31 - does not apply today
    Except: Release cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout.
  • SalmonNov. 1-Dec. 31 - does not apply today
    Min. size 12". Daily limit 6 including no more than 2 adults. Release Chinook.
CRC 315from Black River to Crim Creek
  • All speciesAug. 16-Nov. 30
    Single-point barbless hooks required.
  • TroutSat. before Memorial Day-Mar. 31
    Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: Release cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout.
  • Other game fishSat. before Memorial Day-Mar. 31
    Statewide min. size/daily limit.
  • SalmonOct. 1-Oct. 31
    Min. size 12". Daily limit 6 including no more than 2 adults. Release adult Chinook.
Rules for other dates
  • All speciesJan. 1-Mar. 31 - does not apply today
    Selective gear rules.
  • SalmonNov. 1-Dec. 31 - does not apply today
    Min. size 12". Daily limit 6 including no more than 2 adults. Release Chinook.
CRC 315from Crim Creek upstream including all forks
  • All species
    Selective gear rules.
  • TroutSat. before Memorial Day-Oct. 31
    Statewide min. size/daily limit. Except: release cutthroat trout and wild rainbow trout.
  • Other game fishSat. before Memorial Day-Oct. 31
    Statewide min. size/daily limit.

Statewide base layerParsed

These defaults apply where the rules above do not modify them.

Season
Saturday before Memorial Day through Oct. 31Statewide
Gear
One line, up to 3 hooks; barbed or barbless; single, double, or treble hooks allowedStatewide
Bait
Allowed. Chumming prohibited unless a water's special rules permit itStatewide
Poles
1 pole. A two-pole endorsement covers lakes and ponds only.Statewide

Where the verbatim rules above name a species, season, or limit, they replace the rows below. Each row is tagged with the layer it comes from.

SpeciesDaily limitSize
Trout
2min. 8"Statewide
Steelhead
Release all wild steelhead.
2min. 20"Statewide
Whitefish
15-Statewide
Bass (largemouth and smallmouth)
No size restriction or daily limit in rivers, streams, and beaver ponds.
No limit-Statewide
Walleye
No size restriction in rivers and streams.
No limit-Statewide
Channel catfish
No min. size in rivers and streams.
No limit-Statewide

How this answer was assembled

  1. StatewideStatewide river rules are the base layer: default season, gear, bait, and limits.
  2. This waterSpecial rules written for this exact water replace the statewide defaults where they speak.
  3. Emergency orderEmergency orders in effect today override everything else. They sync quietly when the phone has coverage and never lock you out of the app.

Where this section begins and ends

Loading map…

The drawn shape is the named water, matched from the official list against OpenStreetMap and accepted only because the name resolved to a single feature in this water's county.

  • the mouth(mouth terminus (adjacent named water))
  • Hwy. 107 bridge in Montesano including all channels, sloughs, and interconnected waterways(road: ref 107)
  • Hwy. 107 bridge in Montesano(road: ref 107)
  • Fuller Bridge including all channels, sloughs, and interconnected waterways(road via register: unnamed)
  • Fuller Bridge(road via register: unnamed)
  • South Elma Bridge including all channels, sloughs, and interconnected waterways(road via register: unnamed)
  • South Elma Bridge(road via register: unnamed)
  • the Black River(tributary: black river)
  • Crim Creek(tributary: crim creek)

These landmarks were each found on the map, but their positions run in a different order than the rules list them, so at least one has matched the wrong feature. No boundary is drawn from them at all: we cannot tell which one is wrong, and a boundary in the wrong place is worse than none. Use the written descriptions above.

Season at a glanceDerived

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
opensome sectionsclosedunknown

Next change: partially changes Nov. 1, 2026.

Sampled mid-month from the dated rows; short windows can slip between samples. The rows above are authoritative.

At the water nowContext

Overnight
46°F
Mostly Cloudy
Wind 1 mph · 5% precip
Tuesday
58°F
Partly Sunny
Wind 1 mph · 7% precip
Tuesday Night
51°F
Mostly Cloudy
Wind 2 mph · 14% precip

Streamflow: 30.7 cfs at chehalis river near doty, wa (2026-10-13 05:30)

Forecast: National Weather Service. Flow: nearest active USGS gauge in this water's area, which may sit on a different reach. Conditions are context, not rules.

What are you fishing for here?Advice

Pick from the species named in Chehalis River's rules. Setups are checked against the gear rules in force today, and your picks are remembered on this device only. These are rule-aware suggestions, not a claim about what is biting; advice, not law, and the rules above govern.

You also need (Washington)

  • Fishing license. Everyone age 16 and older needs a fishing license. Under 16 fishes license-free.
  • Catch record card. Required for salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, and halibut, at every age including under 16. Electronic catch record cards are available in the MyWDFW and Fish Washington apps. Where a water's pamphlet entry shows a CRC code, record your catch against it.
  • Two-pole endorsement. Lets you fish a second pole on most lakes, but only where the water's rules honor it. Lake Washington, for example, does not.
  • Columbia River Salmon and Steelhead Endorsement. Required for salmon and steelhead fishing on listed Columbia basin waters (ages 15 and older). The pamphlet entry says so where it applies, for example the lower Yakima River.
  • On this water: record salmon and steelhead on your catch record card under codes 316, 317, 315.

Checked against WDFW fishing licenses and catch record cards on July 2, 2026.

Receipts

Statewide rules
Statewide
2026-27 WA Sport Fishing Rules - statewide freshwater rules & species rules (rivers)
Checked against this official source on July 2, 2026.
Special rules - Chehalis River
This water
2026-27 WA Sport Fishing Rules - puget sound coastal rivers special rules, a c
Checked against this official source on July 7, 2026.
These rules matched the official source when we last checked (July 3, 2026). If a future check ever disagrees, this page gets flagged automatically. How we check our data

Local services near Chehalis River

Tackle shops, guides, and boat launches that serve this water will appear here - a separate lane below the rules, so a local business can reach you without ever getting between you and the regulation.

Run a shop or guide service on Chehalis River? Get listed.