Columbia River Portland: Steady Tide, Mixed Bag—Chinook, Walleye, and Bass All Active

This is Artificial Lure with your Columbia River Portland fishing report. We’re coming off the early morning low, so you’ve got a gentle flood building through mid‑morning and a softer ebb this afternoon. Around Portland, that means improving current lines on the channel edges and inside bends, but nothing too wild. Think “steady push,” not ripping tide — good for both boaters and bank anglers. Weather’s classic early‑summer mixed bag: cool morning, light wind, then warming into a comfortable afternoon with a northwest breeze. Skies are partly cloudy, enough sun to get the baitfish moving but not so bright that it kills the mid‑day bite. Sunrise was early in the 5 a.m. hour, sunset will land in the 9 p.m. neighborhood, giving you a long window to work the changing light. Fish activity has picked up nicely. Local reports from tackle shops and boat ramps over the past few days have been showing: - Decent **spring and early summer Chinook** action in the deeper Columbia channels, with most keepers coming on anchor or slow troll. - **Walleye** numbers solid below Portland, especially in slower current seams and along the edges of the shipping channel. - **Smallmouth bass** very active in the sloughs and rocky margins now that water temps are creeping up. - A mix of **shad** still pushing through, providing steady action on lighter gear. Chinook catches have been a steady pick rather than a full‑on slugfest: a handful of fish per boat is common when folks stick to the travel lanes and work the tide changes. Walleye reports from the gorge down toward Portland have been in that “good eater” range — plenty of fish, with some nice 20‑plus‑inchers mixed in. Smallmouth counts are almost “as many as you want” if you stay mobile and work structure. For lures and bait: - For **Chinook**, locals are leaning on 360 flashers pulling small spin‑fish or Brad‑style super baits packed with tuna, plus classic plug‑cut herring behind a triangle flasher. Chartreuse, chrome, and green‑dot patterns are getting bit. On anchor, Kwikfish or Mag Lips wrapped with sardine are still putting fish in the box. - For **walleye**, bottom‑bouncer rigs with worm harnesses in silver, gold, and perch patterns are a staple. Soft‑plastic grubs or paddle‑tails on 1/4 to 3/8‑ounce jig heads, tipped with a nightcrawler, are knocking out fish on the edges. - For **smallmouth**, it’s hard to beat a 3–4 inch green pumpkin tube, Ned rig, or small swimbait. Early and late, topwater walkers and poppers around riprap and wood are getting crushed. - **Shad** are predictable: small Dick Nite‑style spoons and tiny darts in chartreuse, pink, or silver, fished mid‑column in the current. A couple of local hot spots to circle: - **Government Island / I‑205 to I‑5 stretch**: Good travel lane for Chinook in the main channel, plus solid walleye on the drops and smallmouth on the rocky shorelines and wing dams. - **Multnomah Channel**: A great option when the main river gets busy or windy. Chinook still filter through here, and there’s consistent action for bass along docks and pilings, with occasional walleye in the deeper bends. Work the first couple hours of the flood for Chinook and walleye, then slide shallower for smallmouth as the sun gets up. Evening tide turns can surprise you with a late Chinook or a quick walleye flurry, especially if that northwest wind lays down. That’s the Columbia River Portland report from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn