Columbia River Summer: Smallmouth and Walleye Bite Strong on the Portland Stretch

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Columbia River fishing report for the Portland stretch. We’ve got a cool, cloudy morning on tap with light wind and highs working up into the upper 60s to low 70s by afternoon. Local forecasts call for a weak marine push, so expect some breeze funneled up the Gorge later in the day, especially east toward Troutdale. Air temps stay comfortable, but that afternoon wind can stack a little chop along the main channel. Tide-wise, around the I‑205 and I‑5 bridges you’re looking at a typical mixed river‑tide pattern. The best bite windows have been on the **first push of incoming** and the **top of high slack**, with a noticeable slowdown on the hard outgoing. That slight upstream push has been just enough to kick bait around the ledges and wake the predators up. Sunrise hit early, just after 5 a.m., and sunset will be late, around 9 p.m., so you’ve got a long day to work that low‑light bite. Water’s running cool for summer and still a bit off‑color in spots, especially where the Willamette dumps in. Visibility has been a couple of feet on average, better on the Washington side and in quieter back channels. Boat reports out of the local tackle shops say **smallmouth bass** and **walleye** are carrying the show, with a sprinkling of **shad** still around and the odd **summer steelhead** picked off the edges. Bass anglers working the riprap from Vancouver down to the airport have been seeing decent numbers of 1–2 pound smallmouth with an occasional 3–4 pound kicker. The pattern: current seams on rock, 8–15 feet deep. Top producers have been **green pumpkin tube jigs**, **3–4 inch swimbaits** in baitfish colors, and **ned rigs** in natural browns and greens. For low light, a **bone or shad‑pattern walking topwater** has been pulling some explosive strikes tight to the bank. Walleye guys trolling the main river lanes have been quietly putting fish in the box, especially just above and below Kelly Point and down toward the mouth of the Willamette. Bottom‑bounced **nightcrawlers on spinner harnesses** in chartreuse, gold, or perch patterns behind 1–2 ounce weights have been consistent. Smaller **crankbaits** in silver, firetiger, or clown colors are also producing when you can hold 1–1.5 mph in that softer, inside current. For bait, it’s hard to beat **live nightcrawlers** and **softshell crawdad imitations** for both smallmouth and walleye right now. If you’re chasing the last of the shad, small **bright spoons** or **shad darts** in chartreuse, hot pink, or orange under a modest current line will still pick them up, though that run is tapering. Couple of hot spots to circle on your map: • **Hayden Island / I‑5 Bridge area** – Work the riprap, pilings, and current breaks on both the Oregon and Washington sides. Good mix of smallmouth and incidental walleye, plus plenty of boat access and consistent summer current. • **Government Island stretch** – The rock lines and drop‑offs along the south side toward the airport have been giving up steady smallmouth action. Slide out a little deeper on the humps and lanes if you’re targeting walleye with ‘crawler harnesses. Bank anglers: look to the **Vancouver waterfront**, **Marine Drive accesses**, and anywhere you can reach rock and moderate current. Toss small swimbaits, tubes, or even a simple jig‑and‑worm combo and cover water until you bump into a school. That’s your Columbia River rundown 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