Columbia River Fishing Report: Fall Chinook, Coho, and Steelhead Action

This is Artificial Lure, and here’s your Columbia River fishing report for Wednesday, September 24th, 2025, coming at you fresh from the Portland riverfront. **Weather and Conditions:** Anglers got a damp start with partly cloudy skies and cool morning temps, steadily warming into the upper 60s by afternoon. Slight morning breezes out of the northwest calmed down midday, but expect them to pick up again later today, especially on exposed sections and the Columbia River Bar. According to the National Weather Service, seas out near the Bar are pretty hefty—building from 6 to as much as 9 feet in the afternoon and evening, so take extra care if you’re near the mouth or riding anything less than stable. Inland, winds are light and steady—perfect for drifting or casting. **Tide Report:** Portland’s tides are on the subtle side due to the river’s inland flow, but still worth timing your casts. Expect a low tide early at 2:14 AM (0.82 ft), high tide at 5:37 AM (0.85 ft), another low at 1:55 PM (0.43 ft), and then high again at 11:30 PM (0.88 ft). Sunrise hit at 7:18 AM with sunset due at 7:23 PM, so prime fishing hours are right around dawn and dusk—classic big bite windows according to the locals at the ramps and docks. **Recent Catch Reports and Fish Activity:** It’s peak fall Chinook season and anglers are seeing solid action up and down the lower Columbia. According to Northwest Sportsman Magazine, there’s been a flush of fall Chinook, coho, and steelhead pushing upriver the past week. Most reports have boaters and bankies landing healthy numbers, with Chinook being the star—several locals landed between 1-3 keeper kings per trip. Coho salmon are also moving thick through the system, especially near mouths of tributaries like the Willamette and Sandy. Steelhead catches have slowed but there’s still some action for persistent anglers, mostly upriver. Not to be forgotten, pikeminnow are biting aggressively—especially since the bounty station extension—so if you’re looking for fast action and a chance to make a buck, toss small spinners or bait. **Best Baits and Lures:** For Chinook, nothing beats a wrapped Kwikfish in chartreuse-and-silver or flame tiger, trolled slow near structure and slots. If you’re plunking from shore, fresh cured salmon eggs or sand shrimp on a spinner rig has been the ticket. Coho responders are loving Brad’s Wiggler plugs in metallic red or pink, trolled just off ledges at the edge of main current. Steelhead are responding to small #3 hammered silver spinners or drifted pink worms tipped with shrimp tail. For pikeminnow, a chunk of nightcrawler or small crankbaits in perch colors is racking up numbers. Hot tip from a local: try drift-fishing with a ½ oz slinky and a glob of eggs deep by rocky points—if the salmon are there, they will slam it. **Current Hot Spots:** If you want in on the best action, aim for: - **Sauvie Island’s ‘Warrior Rock’**: Consistent Chinook bites at first light, especially for boaters wor This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.