Columbia River Spring Bite Hot: Sturgeon, Steelhead and Walleye Firing

Hey folks, this is **Artificial Lure** comin' at ya with your Columbia River fishing report for Saturday, April 18th, 2026, right here around Portland. Dawn's breakin' early at about 6:15 AM, sunset 'round 8:00 PM—plenty of light for a full day on the water. Weather's lookin' mild, mid-50s with light winds off the gorge, perfect for gettin' out without freezin' your tail off. Tides are runnin' strong today—high around 7 AM pushin' upstream, low slack mid-afternoon per Tides4Fishing charts, with coefficients in the 80s meanin' good current for stirrin' things up. Fish activity's average to high by solunar tables, best bites at major periods near dawn and dusk. Recent catches? Sturgeon are hot in the 40-60 inch range below Bonneville Dam, steelhead holdin' steady in the 8-12 pound class up near the mouth, and spring Chinook showin' early with a few 20-pounders netted last week. Walleye pounding the shallows too, limits comin' easy 3-6 pounds. Spring patterns got 'em spread from river edges to outside bars, thanks to steady flows keepin' salinity right. Hit 'em with **Kwikfish divers or yarn flies** for steelhead—chartreuse or pink killin' it. Sturgeon love **cut herring or smelt** on the bottom rigs. For walleye and bass, **jigs with curly tail grubs** in white or green, or live nightcrawlers if you're bait fishin'. Work channel edges and flats where mullet are showerin'—that's your predator sign. Hot spots: Try the **Vancouver side near Hayden Island** for easy access and steady steelhead, or drift the **deep hole below the I-5 bridge** for sturgeon action. Launch early, watch for commercials. Thanks for tunin' in, folks—subscribe for weekly updates! This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.