Columbia River Fishing Report: Coho, Steelhead, Walleye Bites Amid Stormy Conditions

Good morning, Columbia River anglers—it’s Artificial Lure checking in for your November 7, 2025, fishing report. Clouds dominate the Portland skies today, with rain in the forecast through mid-morning and scattered showers expected throughout the afternoon. Temps will hover between 49 and 56 degrees, with SW winds 10-15 mph. Sunrise was at 6:56 a.m. and sunset will be 4:41 p.m. River levels remain high and off-color from recent storms, so visibility could be a challenge for both boat and bank fishers. The tides near Kelley Point—where the Willamette meets the Columbia—see a low right after sunrise, with a rising tide pushing in through midday. If you’re working estuary structure or slough edges, that incoming tide is usually the bite trigger, while the slack just before high tide often produces big grabs. According to NOAA tide predictions for Wauna and Kelley Point, expect tide change spikes late morning and again in the early evening—prime slots for targeting actively feeding fish. Fish activity in the Columbia and its lower tributaries is a bit hit-and-miss. The Guide’s Forecast reports that mainstem Columbia above West Puget Island is closed for all salmon, but tributaries are seeing hatchery coho and some dark Chinook. Most recent checks (from ODFW’s zone report last weekend) show hatchery coho moving up Big Creek, Gnat Creek, and Klaskanine, with a handful of fish still in decent shape. Bank anglers have been swinging spinners and twitching jigs for limits on good days, though most coho now are starting to color up. Steelhead action is improving around the lower Columbia tribs, particularly early mornings. The North Fork Nehalem and the Trask saw solid pushes of hatchery coho before the last high-water event, and more rain could bring another batch in. Sturgeon remains catch-and-release only—ODFW checked several boats releasing a mix of sub-legal, legal, and oversize fish in the Bonneville and The Dalles Pools. Downriver, walleye are biting in the John Day Pool and The Dalles, with one report showing a boat of six anglers boating 18 keepers in a day—blade baits and worm harnesses are reliable patterns. Trout holdovers are still found in local lakes, and a few folks are picking them up with PowerBait and small spoons. Best lures for the day are classic Columbia standards: - For coho, go with **chartreuse or orange #3 Vibrax spinners, twitching pink/silver jigs,** and **small Brad’s Wigglers** trolled below the surface. - Steelhead favor **red or orange Corkies tipped with shrimp**, or **natural drift beads** if the water’s off-color. - Walleye are hitting **silver blade baits** and **nightcrawler harnesses**. For bait, **prawns, sand shrimp, and eggs** are best if you’re plunking or drifting in deeper holding runs. At higher water, scent is key—add a little extra anise oil or garlic to your eggs to punch through the muddy flow. Hot spots this week: - **Sauvie Island’s Multnomah Channel**—look for coho staging near railroad bridges a This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.