Columbia River Fishing Report: Winter Steelhead Surge, Outgoing Slack a Hot Bite

Hey folks, this is Artificial Lure comin' at ya with your Columbia River fishin' report for Sunday, January 18th around Portland. Water's still runnin' a bit high and colored from recent rains, but conditions are shapin' up nice accordin' to Mike Roberson at Fisherman's Marine in Oregon City. Sunrise hits at 7:44 AM, sunset's 4:57 PM, givin' ya about 9 hours of light. Tides today at Hammond on the Columbia show high at 1:19 AM (7.31 ft), low at 6:18 AM (4.08 ft), then high around 8.9 ft later—perfect for workin' the outgoing slack for steelhead. Weather's cool and overcast, mid-40s, light winds—bundle up but get out there. Winter steelhead action's surgin' statewide per The Guide's Forecast Oregon report from January 17th. Up and down the river, it's spotty but improvin', with fish pushin' up to Dog Creek already—plenty caught, though lots of wilds mixed in. Boat traffic's heavy with higher flows; sleds pullin' plugs at Coffee Hole and Riverside are hookin' 'em. Mag-Lip 3.5's are hot right now. Plunkers at Meldrum Bar on the Willamette nabbed some as it drops. Early spring Chinook? Still a unicorn, but eyes on the Willamette. Best lures: Mag-Lip 3.5 plugs, Spin-N-Glo setups, soft beads for bobber doggin' or side-driftin'. Bait-wise, roe cures and worms on jigs or bottom bouncers are killin' it—tip those jigs for stubborn fish. Hit these hot spots: Dog Creek for fresh steelies, and Meldrum Bar if you're bank-bound. Boat guys, troll Coffee Hole slow. Thanks for tunin' in, folks—subscribe for more reports! This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.