Columbia River Fishing Report: Late Summer Chinook, Steelhead Heating Up

It’s Artificial Lure checking in with your Columbia River fishing report for Friday, August 29, 2025. River anglers around Portland woke up to a cool, steady morning—sunrise at 6:28 and a mild marine layer hanging overhead, with the promise of sun later and a high around 74. Expect a pleasant west breeze in the afternoon; just enough to keep things comfortable without making casting a chore. Today’s tide chart for Portland shows a low tide at 5:40 AM at 0.85 feet, high swings up to 1.7 feet at 9:51 AM, another low at 4:02 PM at 0.52 feet, and the evening’s high pulling up to 3.15 feet at 9:40 PM. The moving water right after the morning low and into the flood tide has been sparking the bite lately, especially for those drifting or trolling below the I-205 and up toward Sauvie Island. On the catch front, the action has definitely picked up as fall management regs have kicked in. According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, checkers logged excellent Chinook numbers upstream from Warrior Rock to Rainier last week: 141 fall Chinook, five jack Chinook, four coho, and 20 steelhead kept, with good numbers released too. In the Portland to Warrior Rock stretch, anglers kept 13 Chinook, one jack, and a steelhead, most coming to boaters running spinners and bait rigs close to the bottom. Bank fishing’s been tougher—especially on the Portland side, where foot anglers reported just a handful of steelhead and occasional jacks. If you’re after steelhead, your best bet is still hitting the deeper slots early before the sun gets high. The fish are hugging cooler water, and the first few hours after dawn are when you’ll find ‘em chasing your gear. Trolling spinners—especially in green and chartreuse—or plug-cut herring has been producing steady strikes. Plugs like the Mag Lip in 3.5 to 4.5, run behind a dropper, have also fooled more than a few big kings this week. For bait, cured coon shrimp and sand shrimp tipped on a spinner rig are the ticket for steelhead. For salmon, you can’t go wrong with plug-cut herring brined up nice and tight or running a Brad’s Super Bait stuffed with tuna—just don’t forget that heavy lead to keep your rig just above bottom with today’s moderate flows. If lure fishing, try bright spinners and wobblers during low-light hours, then switch to natural shades as the sun climbs. If you’re hunting hot spots, two areas stand out: - **Troutdale Launch**: Boats working the runs just below and above the mouth have been consistently into Chinook and the odd steelhead this week, especially when staying close to the shipping channel edges. - **Below the Portland Harbor/Downtown Stretch**: Trollers are intercepting fresh Chinook running up with the tides, particularly right after the early morning low — look for crowds and follow the contour lines. Remember, water clarity is decent thanks to relatively stable flows, and bait balls are congregating with the tide swings through the mid-morning. As always, check the latest ODFW regula This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.