Methow River

The Methow River is about 45 miles long and flows out of the Lost Valley eventually entering into the Columbia River. The headwaters of the Methow River start high in the mountains in the area of where state route 20 is. The Methow's watershed is characterized by relatively pristine habitats, as much of the river basin is located in national forests and wildernesses.


This river is known for its large population of wild rainbow and cutthroat trout that can go up to twenty inches and bigger. It also gets a great run of Steelhead too, mainly during the fall. There are plenty of areas that anglers can access and wade fish from, however floating this river in a drift boat or raft is way more popular. The float trips can be broken down into three different sections of water- From Winthrop downstream to Twisp; Twisp to Carlton, and Carlton downstream to Gold Creek. All three sections have different types of water including riffles, runs, pocket water, and deep holes.


The summer run steelhead enter the Columbia River in June and July and begin to run upriver at the start of September. All of this however is water dependant. The more rain, the better! The high water flows speed up the migration and enable these fish to travel further upstream. On a good water year, they can migrate about thirty-five miles up the Methow to the Winthrop National Fish Hatchery.


As of recent years, the numbers of fish have risen thanks to the wonderful job the folks at the Winthrop National Fish Hatchery have been doing. The peak of the steelhead season occurs in October and November and then again from late February through March. Keep in mind that wild steelhead must be immediately released back into the water, and hatchery steelhead must be kept.

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