Early Summer Columbia River: Smallmouth, Walleye, and Late Springers Firing Up Around Portland

This is Artificial Lure with your Columbia River Portland fishing report. We’ve got a classic early-summer pattern setting up on the big river. Around Portland, the Columbia is running a bit colored but fishable, with decent visibility along the edges and softer current seams. Water temps are sitting in that low-60s sweet spot, which has the smallmouth and panfish pretty fired up and the remaining springers and summer steelhead sliding through. Weather-wise, plan for a cool, damp start and a mild, partly cloudy afternoon. Expect light wind in the morning building to a noticeable west breeze later, so fish that early window if you can. Sunrise comes early and sunset is late this time of year, giving you a long low-light bite at both ends of the day. Tides don’t swing as hard up here as they do downriver, but you’ll still see that subtle push and drop that moves bait and perks up the bite. Focus on the first couple hours after the morning tide change and again late afternoon when current softens along the edges and behind the islands. Recent action: local anglers have been picking off a mix of **summer steelhead**, a few late **spring Chinook**, plenty of **smallmouth bass**, plus **walleye** in the deeper slots. Reports from regulars at the ramps and shop counters say smallies are coming 10–25 feet on rocky points and riprap. Walleye catches have been steady in the classic mid-river trenches and below dropoffs. Steelhead and the odd Chinook are showing on the upstream troll and for folks plunking from the beaches. Best producers right now: - For salmon and steelhead: 3.5 spinners in greens, chartreuse, and copper, 3.0–3.5 cut-plug herring behind short leaders, and Brad’s-style Super Baits in green chrome and watermelon. For bait, cured coon shrimp, sand shrimp, and plug-cut herring are your go-tos. - For smallmouth: 3–4 inch green pumpkin or brown tube jigs, Ned rigs, and small swimbaits along riprap and rock piles. Topwaters like small walking baits and poppers can be fantastic early and late. - For walleye: nightcrawler harnesses with chartreuse or glow blades, small paddle-tail plastics on 3/8–1/2 ounce jig heads, and blade baits hopped along bottom. A couple of local hot spots to consider: - **Government Island area**: Lots of structure, side channels, and current seams. Good for smallmouth on the rocks, walleye on the drops, and a shot at traveling steelhead or Chinook on the troll. - **Sauvie Island / Kelley Point confluence**: That mix of Columbia and Willamette water creates great current breaks. Plunkers hit steelhead and the occasional Chinook off the beaches, while boaters work walleye and smallmouth along the edges and humps. Overall fish activity has been best in the low light and whenever the wind lays down. Midday can still produce if you tighten up to structure and slow your presentation, especially for walleye and smallmouth. That’s your Columbia River Portland report from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next update. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn