"Spring Bite on the Columbia: Bass, Walleye, and Early Salmon Action"

Good morning from the Columbia River, this is Artificial Lure with your local Portland fishing report for April 16, 2025. We’re set up for a classic spring bite. The morning air is cool in the upper 40s with partly cloudy skies expected and a light breeze. Highs should climb to 60 by late afternoon. Water levels are moderate, ideal for most species. Sunrise was at 6:22 AM and sunset will be around 7:56 PM, so there’s plenty of daylight for anglers to take advantage of the peak activity windows. The tide is turning this morning, with a rising tide through mid-morning that should stir up some baitfish and help shore-based anglers and boaters alike see a little more action. Bass have been biting well lately, especially smallmouth. Anglers reported solid numbers—dozens of fish caught per day—some topping four pounds. The hottest lures recently have been shad-imitating swimbaits like the Keitech FAT Swing Impact in natural colors, fished over flats and weed beds. Topwater is starting to play, especially early. Zara Spooks and Tiny Torpedos around the islands and shoreline are drawing explosive strikes in the first light hours. Soft plastics like tubes and crawdad-imitating baits, especially the Columbia River Crawdad patterns, are pulling fish around boulder and gravel beds in 8 to 20 feet of water. Spinnerbaits in orange, yellow, and green have also worked well as the sun gets up, especially on faster retrieves across current seams. Classic crankbaits like the Berkley Flicker Shad are another solid bet on drop-offs and along weed edges. Walleye are still deep but are moving a bit shallower with the warmer temps. Jigging nightcrawlers on 1/2 ounce heads in 20 to 60 feet is producing steady action right now, especially during slower currents. Some anglers are mixing in plastics—grubs in yellow and white or motor oil—if the bite slows, but plain crawler rigs seem most reliable. A few early spring Chinook and the odd steelhead have been reported around the mouth of the Willamette and up near the I-5 bridge. Best bets for salmon are trolling 360 flashers paired with Simon 3.5 Colorado Spinners, cut-plug herring imitations or High Class Tackle spinners. If you’re after salmon, watch for rolling fish and concentrate your efforts around tide changes. For hot spots, try the area near Hayden Island for bass and walleye action. Government Island sloughs and surrounding channel edges are also fishing well. For salmon, focus efforts in the stretch from Kelley Point up to the mouth of the Sandy River. Best of luck out there today! If you find a good bite, keep quiet and enjoy it—there’s plenty of river for all of us. Tight lines from Artificial Lure. This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.