Late Spring Columbia River: Smallmouth Heat Up, Salmon Still Early Morning Bite

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Columbia River fishing report around Portland. We’re sitting in a classic late‑spring pattern on the big river. Overnight temps dipped into the low 50s, with daytime highs pushing into the low 70s, light west wind 5–10 mph, and mostly clear skies with some high clouds drifting through. Local forecasts call for stable barometric pressure and only a slight breeze this afternoon, which should keep the river very fishable. Sunrise came just after 5:20 a.m. with sunset a little after 9:00 p.m., giving you a long window to work the low‑light bite. The best feeding periods today are first light through about 9 a.m., then again from roughly 7:30 p.m. to dark. Midday is slower unless you target deeper slots and current breaks. Down at the estuary and up through the lower river, tide swings are modest today, but you’ll still notice the push and pull below Longview. Around the Portland stretch the “tide” mostly shows up as subtle current changes: softer flows on the flood, a little extra push on the ebb. Expect your best action when flows are changing rather than dead‑steady, especially along wing dams and channel edges. Fishing pressure has eased a bit after the peak spring Chinook rush, but there are still some late springers around plus a growing number of summer Chinook and steelhead. Recent chatter from local shops and boat ramps has bank and boat anglers picking up a mixed bag: a few keeper Chinook early, some hatchery steelhead, plenty of smallmouth bass, and increasing numbers of shad below Bonneville. For salmon and steelhead, most of the catching has been early in the morning. Trollers working downstream runs with 360 flashers and small 3.0 spinners or Brad‑style cut‑plug crankbaits in green/chartreuse and chrome have found a few fish in 15–30 feet. Plug‑cut herring is still a solid bet where allowed, especially on the deeper outside bends. Steelhead are showing on plugs like Mag Lips and smaller Kwikfish wrapped with sardine, pulled along current seams and the edges of travel lanes. Smallmouth fishing has been the steadiest bite in the Portland pool. Rocky banks, riprap near bridges, and the mouths of tributaries are producing good numbers. A lot of locals are doing well with 3–4 inch soft‑plastic swimbaits, green pumpkin tubes, and drop‑shot worms in natural baitfish colors. Spinnerbaits and chatterbaits in white or shad patterns cover water quickly when there’s a little chop. If the sun gets high and the wind lays down, switch to finesse: Ned rigs, small jigs, and light line around rocks and pilings. Shad are stacked up below Bonneville when flows cooperate. Shiny little darts and tiny spoons in silver, chartreuse, or pink, fished just off bottom in the main current, are putting up fast numbers on light tackle. It’s a great option if you’ve got kids or just want steady action. Best baits and lures right now: - For salmon: plug‑cut herring, prawn spinners, and 3.0–3.5 spinners behind 360 flashers; chartreuse, chrome, and green glow are working. - For steelhead: smaller plugs (Mag Lips, Kwikfish) with sardine wraps, plus metallic spoons and spinners in slower seams. - For smallmouth: green pumpkin tubes, Ned rigs, small swimbaits, and shad‑pattern crankbaits. - For shad: 1/16–1/8 oz shad darts and tiny spoons in bright metallics. Couple of local hot spots to consider: - The Portland Harbor stretch from the St. Johns Bridge down toward downtown: good smallmouth along riprap and pilings, with the occasional bonus Chinook traveling the channel. - The mouth of the Willamette where it meets the Columbia: classic travel lane for salmon and steelhead, plus solid smallmouth structure on both sides of the confluence. As always, check the current Oregon and Washington regulations, pay attention to any emergency rule changes, and mind the shipping lanes—big water and big boats out here. 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