Late Fall on the Columbia: Coho, Steelhead, and Walleye in Rainy November

Columbia River anglers, it's Artificial Lure with your November 10th fishing report, live and local from the Portland stretch. We're rolling right into late fall, and the air's got that good chill—typical Northwest mist hanging low, drizzle coming and going, and a stubborn breeze off the water. Sunrise hit at 7:03am and sunset's set for 4:45pm, so daylight hours are shrinking fast today according to the Portland tide tables. Weather's classic Portland November: low 40s at dawn, heading maybe up to the upper 40s or a cool 50 by mid-afternoon. Low clouds with a steady drizzle off and on means waterproof gear and a thermos of hot coffee are your best friends. The river's running a bit colored—rain over the weekend has boosted flows, so visibility is down. That'll push those fish closer to the banks and into slower seams. Today's tides for the Portland area: low at 6:25am, high at 10:35am, another low at 6:16pm, and a big high rolling in at 9:23pm, per Portland Tides. In St. Helens, expect low tide at 3:50am, high at 8:32am, with the evening peak sneaking in just after dark. For Astoria, high tide hit just before sunrise at 5:22am, low at 10:36am, then a healthy high tide at 4:10pm. Fish activity is picking up, especially for late coho. Outdoor GPS and Steve Kuhn reported a solid push of fresh coho moving through—these fish are chrome-bright and aggressive, hugging the lower river seams but still catchable up past St. Helens if you put the hours in. Yesterday, bank and boat fishers landed a fair run of coho with the occasional chinook still showing, but chinook counts are tapering off fast. Steelhead catches are scattered but increasing, especially in the tailouts just upstream of Portland and near the Sauvie Island shoreline. Most fish are running 6 to 10 pounds, with a few larger chromers mixed in if you're lucky. Walleye catches from the Multnomah Channel have been steady for late season, with most folks pulling nice sized eaters using chartreuse jigs and nightcrawlers. Best lures right now? For coho, twitching bright pink or orange jigs rated top results, especially in the muddy current. Blue fox spinners—size 3 or 4 in chartreuse—grab attention when visibility drops. If you're casting from the bank below the I-5 Bridge, tip your jig with a scrap of prawn or go with a Mag Lip plug, 3.5-inch, in flame or green label. For steelhead, try a 1/8-ounce black/chartreuse jig under a float, and don’t forget a bead tipped with shrimp under a bobber in the slower seams at Frenchman's Bar. Bait’s been king in the cold. Cured coho roe, sand shrimp, and nightcrawlers are all solid. If stormwater is pouring in and the river's up, drift pink worms or eggs in slow backwaters—those fish will tuck in and wait out the dirty water. Hot spots this morning: Meldrum Bar is producing steady coho and even a few late chinook for both bank and boat anglers right now. Further down, the mouth of Multnomah Channel is a sleeper for both coho and walleye, especially on a This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.