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Chehalis River

Type
Freestone river, Washington (West)
Designation
Special-regulation trout water
USGS gauges
4 live
Guides
4 name it
Shops
None listed

Today on the Chehalis River

Reading the gauge…

Regulations & access Guides & shops

The Chehalis River is a freestone river in Washington, listed as Special-regulation trout water by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife / Fish and Wildlife Commission (WAC 220-312).

More about the Chehalis River

4 USGS gauges on the water report flow. 4 guides nearby are listed here.

Updated · Sources: Selective gear rules waters, USGS Water Data

Representative photograph of similar water; not a photograph of this place.
Representative photograph, not this water.
Where it is

Chehalis River is a freestone river in Washington.

Flow now at 4 gauges
Reading the gauges…

Check any river's flow

Follow Chehalis River for flow alerts

Pick one of its USGS gauges and hear from us when the flow moves into or out of its usual range for the date, or crosses a flow you set. We check the public USGS reading every 2 hours and email only when it crosses, at most once every 6 hours. Flow alone is not a fishing forecast or a safety call.

Follow this water

Signed in: one step. Otherwise we email a confirmation link first. Every alert has one-click links to stop it.

Where to fish

About this

Start from the agency's public access map. Nothing on this page grants or implies access: check the agency map, posted signs and landowner permission before you fish.

Nothing on this page grants or implies access.

Washington water access sites

Chehalis River on the map

About this

Gauges, shops and guides within 40 miles

Map of Chehalis River: gauges, shops and guides

RestroomsAccess map

Map of Chehalis River with 4 USGS gauges.

Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors · OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles

Restrooms near Chehalis River

Restrooms near Chehalis River

Restrooms within 2 miles of Chehalis River in a straight line, nearest first, with what anglers found when they went. The map says a restroom is there, not whether it is clean or open today.

Map of 3 restrooms near Chehalis River

Skip the map; every place is in the list below

Map of 3 restrooms near Chehalis River, numbered as in the list, with the water’s point marked.

Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors · OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles

  1. Restroom

    0.1 mi away in a straight line

    Run by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (as mapped)

    Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.

    Directions
    We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
    • Is it clean?
    • Flush or vault?
    • Free?
    • Open to everyone?
    • Step-free?

    Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map

  2. Restroom

    1.5 mi away in a straight line
    • Public (mapped)

    Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.

    Directions
    We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
    • Is it clean?
    • Flush or vault?
    • Free?
    • Step-free?

    Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map

  3. Restroom

    1.9 mi away in a straight line

    Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.

    Directions
    We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
    • Is it clean?
    • Flush or vault?
    • Free?
    • Open to everyone?
    • Step-free?

    Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map

Restroom locations and map details: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License, read Oct 24, 2026. Ratings, answers and photos are members' own; who shared them is never shown, and every photo is reviewed before it appears. Visits older than 18 months no longer count. Distances are straight-line miles, not driving. Nothing here grants access to private land. Community guidelines.

More water near Chehalis River

  • The wide Columbia River running east through its gorge between steep forested walls, seen from Crown PointSpecial-regulation trout waterRepresentative photo · not South Fork Chehalis River
    Photo credit

    The Columbia River Gorge looking east from Crown Point, Oregon. Photo: Hux, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Not South Fork Chehalis River.

    South Fork Chehalis River

    Washington · about 15 mi

  • The Columbia River running between dry hills in WashingtonSpecial-regulation trout waterRepresentative photo · not Newaukum River
    Photo credit

    The Columbia River in Washington. Photo: Belle Unruh, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Newaukum River.

    Newaukum River

    Washington · about 16 mi

  • The Methow River near Pateros at sunsetSpecial-regulation trout waterRepresentative photo · not Willapa River
    Photo credit

    The Methow River near Pateros, Washington, at sunset. Photo: Thayne Tuason, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Willapa River.

    Willapa River

    Washington · about 18 mi

  • The John Day River meeting the Columbia River between dry basalt hillsSpecial-regulation trout waterRepresentative photo · not Grays River
    Photo credit

    The mouth of the John Day River at the Columbia River, Oregon. Photo: Sam Beebe, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Grays River.

    Grays River

    Washington · about 21 mi

  • The Necanicum River looking downstream at Klootchy Creek ParkSpecial-regulation trout waterRepresentative photo · not Satsop River
    Photo credit

    The Necanicum River at Klootchy Creek Park, Clatsop County, Oregon. Photo: Jsayre64, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Satsop River.

    Satsop River

    Washington · about 28 mi

  • Aerial view of the Sandy River meeting the Columbia River near PortlandSpecial-regulation trout waterRepresentative photo · not Skookumchuck River
    Photo credit

    The mouth of the Sandy River at the Columbia River near Portland, Oregon (aerial). Photo: Sam Beebe, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Skookumchuck River.

    Skookumchuck River

    Washington · about 28 mi

Sources Washington water access sitesOverture Maps places (guide map points)

Where the map point comes from

Position: the USGS gauge CHEHALIS RIVER NEAR DOTY, WA.

The map shows USGS gauges (tap one for its flow reading), and shops and guides within 40 miles that publish a street address on their own website. Everyone else is in the lists below.

Regulations

About this

Seasons, limits, special regulations and closures for each reach are on the agency pages below. Read them before you go.

Official designation: Special-regulation trout water

Each comes from the agency's own published list; where the list names a reach it is quoted. A designation applies to the listed reach, not necessarily the whole water. Listed in the finder under trout.

The water on the map

About this

Measured from the NHDPlus High Resolution (flowlines and waterbodies) (U.S. Geological Survey, read 2026-11-04) for this water’s own mapped feature. Rounded figures; they describe the channel, not today’s conditions.

Length
141.9 mi (139 in WA)
Drains
2,690 sq mi
Watershed
Upper Chehalis, Lower Chehalis, Grays Harbor

Public land along it

About this

Areas the Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), public access (U.S. Geological Survey, Gap Analysis Project, read 2026-11-05) lists as owned or held in easement and open to the public, crossed by the mapped channel. Boundaries are mapped, not surveyed. Nothing on this page grants or implies access: check the agency map, posted signs and landowner permission before you fish.

2.5 of 139 mi on public land

  • Olympic-Willapa Hills-South Puget Sound Wildlife Area ComplexState Fish and Wildlife · 1.3 mi · restricted
  • Washington State Department of Natural Resources (WADNR) State Resource Management AreaState Department of Natural Resources · 0.6 mi
  • Davis CreekState Fish and Wildlife · 0.3 mi
  • Rainbow FallsState Park and Recreation · 0.3 mi

Nothing on this page grants or implies access.

Stocking records

About this

From the agency’s own records (WDFW-Fish Plants, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), via data.wa.gov, read 2026-11-04), listed as CHEHALIS R 22.0190 (Grays Harbor County). Check the agency for this season.

Past stockings, not a schedule

  • 2026: Coho Salmon in Mar (1 stocking, 273 fish).

  • 2025: Coho Salmon in Apr (1 stocking, 10,279 fish).

  • 2024: Coho Salmon in Mar, May (2 stockings, 6,347 fish).

Agency records

Guides and shops near Chehalis River

About this

Listings marked Unclaimed are built from open map records and the business's own website: confirm licensing, rates, dates and hours directly.

4 guides name it on their website

Guides

All Washington guides

Shops nearby

No shop nearby yet.

All Washington shops

How these are chosen

Guides whose own website names this water come first, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.

Shops: fly shops first. A distance is shown when the shop’s website gives its location (within 60 miles); otherwise the shop is in one of the towns within 25 miles of the water.

Guide and shop listings come from the Legendary directories.

Species and hatches

About this

What 3 nearby guide websites mention: what guides advertise, not a survey or a promise of what you will catch.

Named on 3 nearby guide websites

  • Coho salmon3
  • Steelhead3
  • Chinook salmon1
  • Sturgeon1
  • Trout1

When the bugs come off

Regional hatch months: Pacific Northwest
About this chart

1 hatch charted for the region, not measured on this water. From Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife.

  1. January: no charted hatch
  2. February: no charted hatch
  3. March: no charted hatch
  4. April: no charted hatch
  5. May: 1 charted hatch
  6. June: no charted hatch
  7. July: no charted hatch
  8. August: no charted hatch
  9. September: no charted hatch
  10. October: no charted hatch
  11. November: no charted hatch
  12. December: no charted hatch

Salmonfly (May)

How we put this together

Named by guides nearby (within 40 miles), counted from the species each guide lists on its own site. No agency page we hold lists species for this water.

Plan a trip here

About this

None of our destination hubs is within 40 miles in a straight line. The trip planner builds a trip around the water itself: the guides and shops listed within 40 miles of it, its gauges and its nearest towns and airports.

No hub within 40 miles

Plan a trip here

Gear checklist

About this

A wade-fishing checklist for big western trout rivers: a 9 ft 5–6 weight outfit, nymph, dry and streamer setups, waders, boots and a wading staff, with estimated prices by tier and where to buy.

A woman in waders and a sun hat wades a broad river and casts, bluffs on the far bank

Big western rivers (wade fishing)

9′ rod, 5–6 weight, floating line · Rainbow and brown trout, whitefish

Open the checklist
Videos for this water (5)

Watch: reading a trout stream

About this

Seams, shelves and soft water, shown on real rivers.

Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.

  • How I Learned to Read Water (Fly Fishing)Embedded from YouTube · Mad River Outfitters · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
  • How To Read The Water with Tom RosenbauerEmbedded from YouTube · The New Fly Fisher · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
  • Reading the Water to Successfully Locate TroutEmbedded from YouTube · Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube

Not sponsored All videos on reading water

Watch: nymphing basics

About this

Indicator rigs, depth and detecting the take.

Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.

  • 90° Nymph RigEmbedded from YouTube · Huge Fly Fisherman · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
  • Casting with an Indicator & Better Nymphing TechniquesEmbedded from YouTube · The New Fly Fisher · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube

Not sponsored All videos on nymphing

Fish Tales

About this

Trip stories anglers chose to share publicly and tagged with Chehalis River.

No stories from here yet.

Write the first story Share your day

Sources for this page

Not a statement of access, fish presence or conditions.

Something wrong?

All 16 sources and dates

A water page organises discovery. It does not assert public access, legal access, current fish presence, guide availability or fishing conditions.

Flows, gauge statistics and flood stages come from USGS and the National Weather Service when the page is shown. Regulations, stocking, species and season statements link to the agency that publishes them; this page copies only the species names and the quoted sentences. Guide and shop listings come from the Legendary directories. Position: the USGS gauge CHEHALIS RIVER NEAR DOTY, WA. Water type is our own classification.