Columbia River Spring Steelhead Peak: Limits to 20 Fish Daily

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 2nd, 2026, and conditions are prime for a solid day on the water—cool and clear with temps hovering around 50-55°F, light winds from the west at 5-10 mph, and mostly sunny skies per the latest NOAA forecast. Sunrise hit at 6:45 AM, sunset's at 7:50 PM, giving us a long window to chase bites. Tides are key here: low tide around 4 AM at -1.2 ft, high at 10:30 AM pushing 7.8 ft, then dropping back low by 5 PM—perfect for targeting outgoing flows where fish stack up. Water temp's steady in the low 50s, stirring spring action. Fish are waking up big time. Recent reports from Oregon DF&G show steelhead runs peaking with limits of 5-8 lb hatchery fish daily near the mouth and up to Bonneville Dam—anglers pulling 10-20 a day on the Washington side. Sturgeon are hot too, with trophy catches over 6 ft released in the estuary, per local guide logs. Salmon smolts are moving, drawing in resident Chinook and Coho starting to show, plus good perch and bass numbers off jetties. Walleye limits coming from deeper holes, 15-20 fish days reported. For lures, nothing beats **Kwikfish or Brad's Super Bait** in chartreuse or black/purple for steelhead—troll or cast 'em on the swing. **Mepps Aglia spinners** in silver or copper for drop-backs. Top baits: cured roe clusters or sand shrimp under a bobber for steelies, ghost shrimp or mud shrimp for sturgeon on the bottom. Bass loving **jerkbaits** like Rapala X-Rap and soft plastics in the shallows. Hit these hot spots: **Ryan Point** for steelhead on the outgoing tide—crowded but worth it. **Cathlamet Channel** for sturgeon bowfishing tight lines. Or **Kalama River mouth** if you're bank-bound, drifting roe all day. Bundle up, watch for barges, and practice catch-and-release on wild fish. Tight lines! Thanks for tuning in, folks—subscribe for weekly updates. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn