November Fishing on the Columbia - Fall Chinook, Coho, and Emerging Steelhead

Artificial Lure here with your Columbia River Portland Fishing Report for November 4th, 2025. First light came at 7:06 a.m. this morning, and we’re looking at sunset right around 4:43 p.m. The days are getting short, so plan accordingly if you want to cash in on that early bite. Tides in the Portland/Columbia stretch are moderate today, with a morning low just before 8 a.m. and a midday high about 12:30 p.m., then back down to a low at 7:50 p.m. According to the Saint Helens tide chart, that pattern holds throughout the lower river, and those noonish highs should give a push to the bite as fish get active with the moving water. Weather’s classic November Pacific Northwest—cloudy, drizzly, with pretty consistent rain and gusts forecast off and on all day. Gordon’s Weekly Weather Update out of Tillamook warns of moderate to heavy rain persisting through the week, afternoon highs in the low 60s, and overnight lows near 48. The frequent fronts are pushing a lot of leaf debris into the river, so watch those eddies and check your line often for snags or grass. And with river levels on the rise and a small chance of local flooding, keep an eye out for hazards and avoid those back channels if the water turns muddy. Fish activity is fair to good, with fall Chinook still showing around the lower Columbia and a few late coho pushing upriver on both the Oregon and Washington sides. The big story right now, though, is the emergence of winter steelhead—just starting—so bring your steelie gear if you want to get ahead of the rush. Columbia River sturgeon catches have tapered but there’s still some solid catch-and-release opportunities for those putting in the effort below Bonneville and down by the mouth of the Willamette. Reports from Riverplace Marina and the mouth at Hayden Bay mention a handful of late coho and some respectable walleye, especially mid-morning when the tide’s running. Walleye are hanging off the channel edges, responding well to jigs tipped with nightcrawler or soft plastic paddle tails. Your best lures right now are brad’s super baits in red or chartreuse for salmon, particularly around noon when that high tide starts to fall. Plugs and spinners—blue fox size 4 in orange or silver—are still drawing coho in the deeper slots. For sturgeon, try smelt or fresh shad if you can find it, otherwise sand shrimp remain the old standby. Early steelhead are hitting on pink worms (3 to 4 inch) under a float, and the die-hard crowd is having luck with smaller spoons near rocky transitions. Walleye are focused on slow-rolled jigs in firetiger or perch color. If you’re on the bank, spinnerbaits by the airport or at Broughton Beach can turn up a bonus smallmouth bass, especially along riprap. Hot spots to target today: Riverplace Marina is a great urban choice for mixed bag action close to downtown. For boaters or bank anglers, Tomahawk Bay Moorage on the north side of Hayden Island continues to produce well for late salmon, catch-and-release sturgeon, This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.