Columbia River Fishing Report: Fall Bite Heats Up in Portland

Artificial Lure here, coming at you with your Columbia River fishing report for Friday, September 19, 2025—live from Portland, where the fall bite is starting to get hot! As the sun rises at 6:55 AM and sets at 7:15 PM, expect classic mild Oregon fall weather: low clouds early, with highs pushing into the upper 60s by midday. The river’s cool overnight temps and steady daytime warming keep conditions optimal for salmon and steelhead runs. NOAA's tidal predictions for Portland indicate a low at 10:24 PM and a high tide around 12:22 PM today at 1.26 feet. If you’re bank or boat fishing, plan to work those transitions—shortly before and after the slack tide is prime for salmonids moving upstream. Last week’s reports from ODFW showed 493 Chinook, 82 jacks, and 25 coho kept in the Portland to Warrior Rock stretch, with steady numbers for both boat and bank anglers. Warrior Rock itself and down near Troutdale were steady producers, with over a hundred Chinook, a couple dozen jacks, and even a few fat coho being taken. The best performing lures right now are **Kwikfish, MagLips, and Brad’s Wigglers** in metallic patterns or chartreuse. Trollers and drifters alike say fresh cut *herring* or *sand shrimp* tipped on spinners, or even just run solo, are the ticket for coaxing those finicky Chinook. Coho seem to be taking smaller spinners (Blue Fox in orange or pink, size 3-4), and a few sharpies are scoring using twitching jigs in deep holes along the Multnomah Channel. If you’re after *steelhead,* the bite is slow but steady, so focus on swinging size 2 pink-washed spoons or casting natural color soft beads below riffles. Warm water temps mean sturgeon and walleye action is slower, with sturgeon retention closed throughout the Portland reach, but don’t overlook the occasional jumbo walleye—especially near The Dalles Pool, where boats kept 4 last week using big chartreuse curly tails tipped with a worm. Hot spots for today: - **Warrior Rock**: Deep slots and gentle current make this ideal for anchoring to intercept upstream Chinook and coho. - **Troutdale Launch**: Excellent for boaters trolling upstream edges and bank anglers working the rocky shoreline. - **Multnomah Channel mouth**: Early morning and late afternoon always see a push of coho filtering in on higher tide. Early coho numbers are six times what they were last fall according to The Guide’s Forecast—but those fish still haven’t pushed high above the falls, so Portland and Willamette confluences remain hot. Health note: The Oregon Health Authority still advises caution for long-term consumption of Columbia River fish because of mercury and PCB advisories. Occasional meals are considered safe, but know your fish and check the latest advisories if you plan to fill the freezer. Today’s best advice? Start pre-dawn with big flashers and cut plug herring for Chinook, then switch to smaller offerings mid-morning as the sun climbs—a size-down approach will trigger shy coho as pressure builds. Don This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.