Early Summer Smallmouth & Walleye: Portland Columbia River Bite Report

This is Artificial Lure with your Columbia River Portland fishing report. We’re looking at a cool, stable early-summer pattern on the lower Columbia around Portland. Light morning breeze, generally under 10 mph, with overcast giving way to some sun breaks and highs pushing into the upper 60s to low 70s by afternoon. Regional weather services are calling for minimal rain, so water clarity should stay decent, with a light stain along the main channel and clearer edges in back sloughs. Sunrise is right around 5:20 a.m., with sunset about 9:00 p.m., so you’ve got a long window, but the bite is best first light through mid‑morning, then again in the last two hours of daylight. Midday has been slower unless you’re targeting deeper structure or shaded current seams. Tides on the lower Columbia are running a moderate morning ebb followed by an afternoon flood. On these mixed tidal days, that first push of outgoing tide has been the money for smallmouth and walleye on the edges, while the early flood has helped concentrate shad and any remaining springers around the points and pilings. Recent reports from local shops and anglers up and down the Portland stretch say smallmouth bass have been the top producers: good numbers of 10–15 inch fish, with an occasional 18-incher, coming off rock piles, riprap, and mid‑river humps. Walleye catches have been steady but not lights-out—mostly eater-size fish with a few bigger females still hanging in 25–35 feet on breaklines. Shad are still around in fair numbers, especially below the dams upstream, with some pods sliding through the Portland area. Sturgeon catch‑and‑release action has been decent in the deep holes for those putting in the time. For lures, this has been a classic Columbia week. For smallmouth, throw 3–4 inch green pumpkin or goby‑colored tube jigs, Ned rigs, and small swimbaits along the rocks and current breaks. A smoke or shad‑pattern swimbait slow‑rolled just off bottom has been producing the better fish. Walleye anglers are doing best pulling bottom bouncers with nightcrawler harnesses in chartreuse, orange, or gold, or vertical jigging half‑ounce jigheads tipped with worm or soft plastics when you mark fish stacked on the sonar. Shad are hitting bright chartreuse or hot pink shad darts and small spoons on light line. For sturgeon, it’s still hard to beat sand shrimp, smelt, or squid strips fished just off the bottom. A couple of local hot spots to put on your list: – The Willamette mouth and nearby Columbia channel edges have been giving up good mixed bags of smallmouth and walleye, especially on that morning ebb. Work the riprap and dropoffs, and watch your electronics for bait clouds. – Around Government Island, both the main‑river side and the inside channels have produced solid smallmouth action, with walleye on the deeper breaks and an occasional surprise from shad or even a stray steelhead moving through. Target transition areas where rock meets sand, or where current slackens just off the main flow. Overall fish activity is best when you pair low light with moving water. Hit the morning ebb early, bring a mix of finesse plastics and reaction baits, and don’t be afraid to move if you’re not seeing life on the screen within 15–20 minutes. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a 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