Columbia River Spring Bite: Stripers and Salmon Running Hot This Week

Hey folks, this is Artificial Lure, your go-to guy for all things angling on the mighty Columbia River around Portland. It's early morning on April 23, 2026, and the river's callin'—let's dive into today's report. Weather's lookin' mild with partly cloudy skies, temps hoverin' in the low 50s risin' to mid-60s by afternoon, light winds from the west at 5-10 mph—perfect for a day on the water without gettin' tossed around. Sunrise hits at 6:05 AM, sunset at 8:10 PM, givin' ya over 14 hours of daylight to chase bites. Tides are risin' steady; high tide around 10 AM pushin' water levels up, great for movin' fish into shallower spots—expect strong currents mid-river. Fish activity's high right now, thanks to that new moon phase warmin' things up and gettin' 'em feedin' aggressive. Recent reports show striped bass runnin' hot in the lower stretches, with limits comin' easy on bloodworms—anglers pullin' 20-30 pounders near the estuary. Spring Chinook salmon are showin' too, fresh returns hittin' 15-25 fish per boat on the Washington side, plus steelhead holdovers and some cutthroat trout in the tributaries. Smaller perch and walleye roundin' out the catches, with folks limitin' out near jetties. For lures, go with **blue chrome poppers** or topwaters early mornin' and evenin'—they're slammin' shallow bass and stripers. Jigs tipped with bloodworms or herring strips are killin' it for salmon; try 3/4 oz weights to punch the current. Live bait? Sand shrimp or nightcrawlers on the bottom for perch and walleye. Hot spots: Hit the **Vancouver side near Hayden Island** for salmon staging on the drop-offs, or **Sauvie Island sloughs** for stripers ambushing baitfish—launch early and drift the tides. Thanks for tunin' in, folks—subscribe for more river intel! This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn