Spring Sturgeon and Steelhead Heat Up the Columbia River This Week

Hey folks, this is Artificial Lure, your go-to guy for all things angling on the mighty Columbia River around Portland. It's Monday morning, March 30, 2026, and we're lookin' at a crisp start to the day with temps hoverin' around 46°F, cloudy skies givin' way to some afternoon sun, light winds out of the northwest—perfect for gettin' on the water without freezin' your tail off. Sunrise hit at 7:05 AM, sunset's 5:33 PM, so you've got a solid 10-hour window to chase 'em. Tides today per NOAA Tides & Currents for nearby Vancouver station: low at 4:59 AM hittin' 1.75 ft, high creepin' to 5.96 ft around 10:23 AM, then droppin' back to low 1.75 ft by 5:30 PM. Fish love that incoming tide mid-mornin'—currents stir up the baitfish, gettin' predators aggressive. Action's been hot lately on sturgeon and steelhead makin' their spring runs. Locals report solid catches of **sturgeon** up to 8 feet from the Portland stretch last week, plus keeper **steelhead** in the 10-15 lb range and a mix of **shad** schools pilin' in. Smaller **salmon** jacks showin' early too, per recent angler logs from Wauna and Astoria docks. For lures, stick with **Mooneye spoons** or **Kwikfish divers** in chartreuse or hot pink—they're tearin' it up on steelhead in the riffles. **Ghost Minnow soft plastics** rigged on a jighead for sturgeon down deep. Live bait? **Lamprey chunks** or **cut herring** on a circle hook can't be beat for the big white sturgeon; **roe bags** for steelhead drifters. Hit these hot spots: **Cathlamet Channel** for driftin' sturgeon on the tide change, or **Willamette River mouth** near Portland for steelhead rollin' in the foam lines. Launch from Frenchman’s Bar or Burlington Bottoms for easy access. Bundle up, check your regs, and tight lines out there! Thanks for tunin' in, folks—subscribe for more reports! This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.