Columbia River Fishing Report: Coho, Chinook, Sturgeon & Walleye Bites Heating Up

Artificial Lure here with your Columbia River, Portland area fishing report for Sunday, October 19th, 2025. We’re waking up to crisp fall air and overcast skies this morning. Temps are hovering in the upper 40s early, climbing to the low 60s by afternoon. Light winds out of the northwest should keep things calm on the water—prime fishing weather for October in the Northwest. Sunrise hit at 7:32 AM, with sunset coming up at 6:19 PM, giving us plenty of daylight to work those riverbanks and back eddies. According to US Harbors, today’s tide in Portland is falling early, bottoming out at 12:13 PM, and back up for a solid evening high at 4:51 PM. That falling tide this morning is great for targeting predatory fish hunting the bait funneling out of sloughs and tributaries. As we roll through mid-to-late October, the big story remains the waning fall salmon run. ODFW and conservation groups are still in court advocating dam spill measures, hoping to keep our iconic Chinook and coho returns strong. Numbers are down from historic highs but there’s still action for those willing to put in the hours—especially near the mouths of tributaries and the deeper slots just below the Bonneville Dam. Last week, bank anglers at Meldrum Bar and Sauvie Island reported a handful of bright coho and late Chinook, most weighing 8–20 pounds. Most boaters are finding much of the same, but persistence pays, especially around the Willamette-Columbia confluence. Just north by St. Helens, sturgeon keep drawing catch-and-release crowds. The outgoing tide midday usually fires up larger fish, especially on sand shrimp or herring. Walleye are also getting lively as the water cools—try jigs tipped with nightcrawlers or chartreuse plastics along the deeper current seams below the Portland harbor. Your best bets for lures today: - For coho: Bright spinners (Blue Fox size 4 or 5 in orange or chartreuse), Brad’s Super Baits stuffed with tuna, or twitching jigs in pink and purple. - For Chinook: Larger Kwikfish wrapped with sardine or cut herring, Mag Wart plugs in metallic blues, or wobblers off anchor just above the deep holes. - For walleye: 3/8 oz jigheads with worm trailers, or deep-diving shad crankbaits in chrome or firetiger. - For sturgeon: Fresh sand shrimp, herring chunks, or squid strips on 6/0 hooks, especially around the pilings. Bank access has been solid at the following local hotspots: - **Sauvie Island beaches:** Consistent with coho and a few late summer steelhead. - **Willamette-Columbia confluence at Kelley Point Park:** Active for late salmon and the occasional walleye. - **St. Johns area piers**: Good for sturgeon and the occasional fat smallmouth bass. Word on the dock is that boaters who slow troll the mouths of the Lewis or Cowlitz River in Southwest Washington are still hitting fresh coho, especially first and last light. A friendly reminder: with wildfires mostly under control this fall, there are fewer access closures, but always check your ramp statu This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.