Riffe Lake is a reservoir in Washington, near Lewis County.
Stocking records show that the following fish or strains were stocked here. A historical stocking does not by itself prove that a self-sustaining population remains today.
Riffe Lake is a reservoir in Lewis County, Washington and covers about 11,830 acres and holds roughly 1,685,100 acre-feet.
Riffe Lake is big water, and a useful pattern in one arm may not carry to the far end of the lake.
Riffe Lake is the long Cowlitz River reservoir behind Mossyrock Dam and was once called Mossyrock Lake. Landlocked coho, smallmouth bass, rainbow trout, and crappie use different depths and shoreline shapes.
Troll small spoons for landlocked coho or trout, drag tubes on steep rock for smallmouth, and use small jigs around wood for crappie.
Large drawdowns expose wide bands of bare bank and move the useful edge toward the old Cowlitz channel. Full-pool shoreline memories can be badly misleading.
After the first bite on Riffe Lake, note whether it came from moving water, rock, weeds, wood, or open water because that one detail is more useful than a broad report from another end of the lake and tells you what kind of feature to repeat nearby.
Keep Riffe Lake's open-water fish and shoreline fish on separate passes because the main targets here include coho salmon, rainbow trout, smallmouth bass and black crappie, and those fish do not all use the same cover, depth, or lure speed even when they are feeding in the same part of the lake.
Before leaving Riffe Lake, compare the best feature at two nearby depths and change lure speed once so that short check shows whether the problem is the location or the presentation without turning the rest of the trip into random casting.
Fish listed for Riffe Lake include Coho Salmon, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, and Black Crappie.
During a low-light period near the downwind side after warm rain, fish a small jig or minnow around wood, weeds, and sharp little drops for black crappie.
During an overcast morning near the mouth of a pocket after a cold night, drag a tube or Ned rig across rock and the hard edge of a point for smallmouth bass.
During a warm summer afternoon near the edge of deeper water under flat light, cast a small spoon, inline spinner, light jig, or fly through cool water for rainbow trout.
During a methodical search near an open-water edge with a slow lure, do not let the deepest number control the whole day; nearby cover, firm bottom, and food usually matter more than the deepest hole by itself.
While using one check of the nearest drop near a clean gravel patch after warm rain, spring runoff can add color and pull fish toward fresh water; green weeds and the first drop become stronger summer targets; in fall, follow bait toward points and shallow flats, while winter rewards a slower search.
During the first hour near an open-water edge close to shade, a light spinning rod, thin line, a few small spoons, inline spinners, and jigs cover the listed trout; carry one slightly heavier setup when other fish or windy water call for more control.
During a steady fall day near a quiet corner in clear water, record the wind, water color, depth of the best pass, and cover after a bite; those four notes are more useful on the next trip than a long list of spots that did not produce.
During a steady fall day near the downwind side in stained water, keep the first hour simple: use one moving bait to find active fish, slow down with a jig or natural bait on the best edge, and repeat the same setup when two bites come from matching depth and bottom during that part of the trip.
The main difference is easy to see: Riffe Lake is the long Cowlitz River reservoir behind Mossyrock Dam and was once called Mossyrock Lake.
Start simply: Troll small spoons for landlocked coho or trout, drag tubes on steep rock for smallmouth, and use small jigs around wood for crappie.
Watch this closely: Large drawdowns expose wide bands of bare bank and move the useful edge toward the old Cowlitz channel.
Explore nearby waters, including local Featured destinations. Check each page for access and fishing restrictions.
Distances are straight-line estimates between mapped water locations.