Fishing the Columbia: Salmon, Sturgeon, and Tides - A Columbia River Update

As of today, January 18, 2025, the fishing scene on the Columbia River near Portland is quite active, despite some recent changes in fishing regulations. ### Tidal Report For Point Adams on the Columbia River, today's tide times are as follows: the first high tide is at 4:06 AM with a height of 8.05 feet, the low tide is at 9:49 AM with a height of 2.82 feet, the second high tide is at 3:39 PM with a height of 7.55 feet, and the second low tide is at 9:56 PM with a height of 1.09 feet. Sunrise is at 7:52 AM and sunset is at 5:01 PM[2]. ### Weather and Fish Activity The weather has been relatively stable, which is favorable for fishing. However, the sturgeon retention fishery in the Bonneville and The Dalles pools was closed after a highly successful New Year’s Day, so if you're looking for sturgeon, it's now catch-and-release only[1][5]. ### Recent Catches Yesterday and in recent days, there has been a mix of salmon being caught, including both Chinook and coho. The upper Columbia River area, particularly around Hood River, has seen good catches of Chinook and coho salmon. On January 2, sturgeon fishing in the Columbia River Gorge was excellent, but as mentioned, the retention season for sturgeon is now closed[1]. ### Best Lures and Bait For salmon, spinners and SpinFish have been effective lately. Fishing upstream in the Columbia River Gorge below Bonneville Dam has yielded good results with these lures[1]. ### Hot Spots One of the best spots currently is the Columbia River Gorge, especially around the Hood River area. This region has been producing a mix of Chinook and coho salmon. Another good spot is near St. Helens, where coho are still coming up the river in good numbers[1]. ### Additional Opportunities Winter steelhead are starting to appear in the Lower Columbia River, offering some beach fishing opportunities this time of year. Keep an eye on the fishing regulation updates for any changes in the sturgeon fishery or other species[5]. If you're planning to head out, make sure to check the latest fishing regulations and consider the tidal times to optimize your fishing experience. This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.