Columbia River Fishing Report: Coho, Chinook, and Steelhead Bite Strong Amid Changing Tides and Surf Conditions

Good morning anglers, Artificial Lure here bringing you the Columbia River fishing report for Wednesday, November 5, 2025, broadcasting right from the heart of Portland’s big waters. Let’s start with today’s **conditions**. We kicked off the morning with a chilly sunrise at 7:03 AM and we’re looking at sunset coming up tonight at 4:55 PM, so you’ll want to get your casts in early and enjoy those prime twilight hours—traditionally some of the best bites of the fall run according to local wisdom and reminders from FishingReminder.Com. Now, the **tide report** matters today, especially with coastal conditions playing a role upriver. According to Tides.net, we’ve got a low tide at 5:23 AM, then a big push with high tide peaking late morning at 11:38 AM, hitting 9.1 feet. We’ll see another low at 6:23 PM, with a sharp drop to about -1.5 feet. That low could concentrate baitfish and predators in deep channels and at river mouths, so time your efforts accordingly. Weather’s looking classic Pacific Northwest: cloudy and cool, with highs around 56°F. Keep an eye on the wind, though—we’ve got a high surf advisory just a bit downriver, with the National Weather Service out of Portland warning about tidal overflow and heavy surf on the coast until tomorrow night. Those conditions can push fish upstream and make the lower river mouth tough to access safely, so stick to the main Portland-Vancouver stretch for stable action. As for **fish activity**, the big news is the late **coho and chinook salmon** bite still going strong. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife notes that “opportunities are on the upswing for Oregon’s fall salmon anglers,” with the Columbia River producing healthy numbers of both chinook and coho in recent weeks. There’s also been a decent mix of **steelhead** and some **walleye** reported, especially from boaters working the deeper holes near Hayden Island and down toward Government Island. Best reported **catches** this week: a handful of **bright coho** averaging 6-9 pounds, a few scattered chinook pushing the 20-pound mark, and steelhead in the 6-10 pound range. Bank anglers near Broughton Beach and Jantzen Bay are hooking into coho at first light, while boaters trolling meat rigs and spinners are finding chinook in the main channels. Top **lures** right now: spinners are flying off the shelves—think Blue Fox size 4-5 in chartreuse, pink, or copper blade for coho. Anchorage QuickFish and Brad’s KillerFish plugs in metallic or bloody nose patterns are working deeper for chinook. For bait, fresh cured coho eggs and sand shrimp are the “can’t miss” baits for both species. If you’re chasing steelhead, try a pink-worm under a float or bead rigs below the riffle seams. For **hot spots**, here’s where you’ll want to be this week: - **Hayden Bay and Jantzen Bay** for early morning coho and chinook, especially on the incoming tide. - **Broughton Beach** offers accessible bank fishing and has been heating up for coho during first light and This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.