Fishing
Dayton area fishing
Dayton and surrounding areas in Columbia County are home to some of the best fishing in the Pacific Northwest. Launch your boat from Lyons Ferry for catfish, trout, bass and other river species on the Snake or Palouse Rivers. Fly fish Big Four Lake, the Touchet River and Tucannon River. Head to lower Little Goose dam to test your skills versus a living dinosaur—the sturgeon—or catch the salmon runs. Tucannon Lakes make for a great mini-vacation with camping areas and family-friendly shore fishing.
Touchet River
The main Touchet River is formed by the confluence of the North Fork of the Touchet which originates in the vicinity of Bluewood and winds down through Dayton. The river is easily accessible from downtown. During the summer the steelhead and rainbow trout run.
Tucannon Fish Hatcheries
The Tucannon Fish Hatchery is located adjacent to the Tucannon River. Adult spring chinook are trapped and shipped to Tucannon Fish Hatchery and hauled to Lyons Ferry for spawning and rearing.
Lyons Ferry and Tucannon fish hatcheries also raise about 320,000 rainbow trout each year for stocking in low-land lakes in eastern Washington and a few streams in northern Idaho.
Tucannon Lakes
Tucannon Lakes are stocked with rainbow trout yearly by the Tucannon Fish Hatchery.
Spring Lake, Rainbow Lake, Deer Lake, Watson Lake, Curl Lake and Beaver Lake are bait and fly fishing lakes.
Big Four Lake is a fly fishing only lake. The Tucannon River that connects all of the lakes can also be fished.