Spring Chinook Heating Up: Trolling the Lower Columbia for 15-25 Pound Bright Salmon

Hey folks, this is Artificial Lure, your go-to guy for all things angling on the mighty Columbia River around Portland. It's April 27, 2026, and we're kickin' off the week with prime spring conditions—sunrise at 6:05 AM, sunset around 8:10 PM, givin' us a solid 14 hours of daylight to chase 'em. Weather's lookin' mild today: partly cloudy, highs in the low 60s, light northwest winds 5-10 mph, perfect for not freezin' your tail off on the water. Tides are key here—high at 7:42 AM and 8:01 PM, low slack around noon and midnight, so fish the incoming for best bites as bait gets pushed into the shallows. Fish activity's heatin' up after yesterday's reports from Fishin' Magician: spring Chinook salmon are on the move in the lower Columbia, with anglers like Shane Magnuson haulin' in bright 15-25 pounders on the troll. Sturgeon are stackin' too, legal keepers hittin' 48-60 inches, plus steelhead holdovers and resident rainbow trout in the tributaries. Recent catches: limits of shadies (springers) near Buoy 10 and the mouth, some fat coho mixed in, and catfish bulkin' up on cut bait in deeper holes. For lures, go with **Kwikfish divers** or **Spin-N-Glo's in chartreuse** for salmon—troll 'em 20 feet down at 2.5 mph. **Mepps spinners** or **blue-backed spoons** shine for steelhead. Live bait? Thread on some herring or prawn tails for sturgeon, or nightcrawlers for trout. Cut anchovies or sardines rule for cats. Hot spots: Hit **Catherine Creek mouth** for staging salmon on the incoming tide, or drift **Martins Island** for sturgeon—tight lines there, boys! Thanks for tunin' in, folks—subscribe for daily updates. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn