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15 km of the Willapa River navigation corridor, with channel depths from USACE hydrographic survey. The river tops out around 49 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
The drawn water covers 10,860 acres wrapped in 30.1 miles of bank. A middling shoreline index (2.1) gives it some bays to work without being a maze. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 72% of this chart. Call it 9.9 mi long by 4 mi wide at the broadest reach. Willapa Bay sits 10 mi southwest — the closest neighbouring chart.
When the water first warms, rainbow trout slide up into 5 to 20 ft. Summer is an 8 to 30 ft game here, winter an 8 to 40 ft one. Start at Channel current seam (mile 2.4). It's a current seam holding about 16 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 2.4) (16 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 2.4) (16 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 2.4) (16 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 8 to 40 ft | dawn | Channel current seam (mile 2.4) (16 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Start shallow in spring: steelhead sit in 3 to 20 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 45 ft, and winter fish settle into 4 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Channel current seam (mile 2.4), a current seam in about 16 ft of water that rates prime for steelhead in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw an orange dodger + fly high in the column or a thin spoon off boards until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 2.4) (16 ft) | Small spoon or spinner at the mouths, Jig + waxworm under float |
| Summer | 5 to 45 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 2.4) (16 ft) | Orange dodger + fly high in the column, Thin spoon off boards |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 2.4) (16 ft) | Spinner (silver/blue), Casting spoon |
| Winter | 4 to 15 ft | midday | Current seam (mile 6.0) (12 ft) | Float jig (black/purple), Bead rig |
Spring coho salmon on Willapa River hold shallow, usually 3 to 25 ft. By summer they slide out to 15 to 49 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 49 ft. The chart's best answer is Channel current seam (mile 2.4) — current seam, 16 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a dodger + fly or a medium spoon above the thermocline.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 2.4) (16 ft) | Small orange dodger + peanut fly, Thin spoon (orange/silver) |
| Summer | 15 to 49 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 2.4) (16 ft) | Dodger + fly, Medium spoon above the thermocline |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 2.4) (16 ft) | Casting spoon, Spinner (chartreuse) |
| Winter | 15 to 49 ft | midday | Channel current seam (mile 2.4) (16 ft) | Small spoon, slow troll |
Early season chinook salmon use the shallows, holding in 5 to 40 ft. Summer is a 15 to 49 ft game here, winter a 15 to 49 ft one. The chart's best answer is Channel current seam (mile 2.4) — current seam, 16 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a flasher + fly (green/white) or a magnum spoon on downrigger and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 2.4) (16 ft) | Trolled spoon (orange/gold), Stickbait off planer boards |
| Summer | 15 to 49 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 2.4) (16 ft) | Flasher + fly (green/white), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 49 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 2.4) (16 ft) | J-plug (glow), Flasher + fly |
| Winter | 15 to 49 ft | midday | Channel current seam (mile 2.4) (16 ft) | Small spoon on a slow troll, Stickbait deep |
6 pieces of structure are mapped here — Outside-bend hole (mile 9.0), around 23 ft, is the deepest of them.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Washington waters are set by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife — and special regulations can apply to Willapa River specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Washington fishing regulations →
Willapa River is about 49 ft (15 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target rainbow trout, steelhead, coho salmon, chinook salmon on Willapa River. This isn't a survey of the water — none is published for it — but an informed estimate from the species common to the region, narrowed by this water's depth, size and each species' range.
Channel current seam (mile 2.4) is the top-rated area: a current seam in about 16 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For rainbow trout, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Willapa River is regulated by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Check the official Washington regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Willapa Bay 10 mi · Grays Harbor 20 mi · Loomis Lake 20 mi · Island Lake 21 mi · Lake Aberdeen 21 mi · Duck Lake 25 mi · Black Lake 28 mi · Columbia River - Reach 1 of 5 35 mi · Lost Lake 42 mi · Summit Lake 43 mi · Nahwatzel Lake 45 mi · Black Lake 45 mi
See how Willapa River stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in Washington · best chinook salmon lakes in Washington · best coho salmon lakes in Washington · best steelhead lakes in Washington
Browse all Washington fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.