Spring Columbia River: Walleye Steady, Late Chinook and Steelhead Moving Through

This is Artificial Lure with your Columbia River fishing report around Portland. We’re working a cool, overcast spring pattern this morning. Local forecasts call for temps in the low 50s at first light, climbing to the low 60s by afternoon, with light west winds 5–10 mph and a stray shower here and there. Sunrise came in right around 5:35 a.m., sunset will be close to 8:45 p.m., giving a long, fishy day with a nice low‑light evening bite. The Columbia here is still running on the high side with decent color, a green‑brown stain that’s actually been helping the bite. Flows are pushy, so look for inside seams, eddies behind pilings, and any soft pocket off the main current. Tides in the lower river influence things clear up through Portland. We’ve got a modest morning flood giving way to an outgoing mid‑day, then another push late. The best bite windows have been on the start of the outgoing and the first hour of the flood, when current changes get fish repositioning. Spring Chinook pressure has tapered after the main run, but there are still a few late springers and some early summer steelhead nosing through. Anglers trolling downstream of the I‑205 and I‑5 bridges have reported a handful of chinook the past couple days, mostly 8–12 pounds, plus a stray hatchery steelhead. Most were taken pulling herring or small triangle‑flasher rigs just off bottom. Walleye fishing has been the steadiest thing going. Folks working deeper edges and current breaks in 25–40 feet have been boxing nice eaters with an occasional 8–10 pounder. Nighttime and low‑light mornings have been best, but with the cloud cover you can stretch that bite a bit. Smallmouth bass are waking up along rocky banks and riprap in the Portland harbor and on the Washington side. Reports of numbers, not giants yet: lots of fish in the 1–2 pound class, with a few pushing three. When the wind lays down and the sun peeks out, they’re sliding shallower around chunk rock and pilings. For gear: • Salmon/steelhead – Trollers are doing well with green‑label herring behind 11‑inch flashers, plus 3.5 spinners in chartreuse, copper, and “Mexican hat” patterns. For bank anglers, try Spin‑N‑Glos with coon‑stripe shrimp or sand shrimp where open. • Walleye – Bottom bouncers with worm harnesses in chartreuse, perch, or fire‑tiger have been the ticket. On slower current, jigging 1/2‑ to 3/4‑ounce jigs with nightcrawlers or soft plastics in natural shad and smoke colors is producing. • Smallmouth – Tubes, Ned rigs, and 3‑inch swimbaits in goby, green pumpkin, and silver shad are working. When fish move shallow, a small crankbait or spinnerbait ticking rock can trigger reaction bites. For bait, it’s tough to beat good‑quality herring for salmon, fresh sand shrimp where legal, and nightcrawlers for both walleye and panfish. Scent has been making a difference in the colder water; a dab of garlic or anise on soft plastics and harness blades isn’t a bad idea. Couple of local hot spots to consider: 1. The stretch from the I‑205 bridge down to Government Island: good travel lane for late springers and steelhead, with troll lanes along the channel edge. Work 20–30 feet, keep your gear just off bottom, and follow the contour. 2. The mouth of the Willamette down through the Portland harbor: solid mix fishery. Walleye on the deeper drops, smallmouth along riprap and docks, and the occasional salmon moving through. Target current seams and the backside of wing dams where the flow softens. Action isn’t lights‑out, but if you time the tide, work the current breaks, and stay mobile, you can put together a respectable box. As always, double‑check the latest regulations and emergency rule changes from Oregon and Washington before you launch. 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