Winter Steelhead and Sturgeon Bite on the Columbia River

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Columbia River Portland fishing report. We’re sitting on a typical December pattern: cold, gray, and calm enough to fish if you dress for it. Local weather outlets are calling for mid‑40s to low‑50s, light east wind, scattered showers, and plenty of cloud cover—perfect steelhead and sturgeon weather. Sunrise around the metro stretch is about 7:40 a.m. with sunset near 4:30 p.m., according to the local tide tables at Portland and Vancouver. On the tide side, Vancouver and St. Helens Columbia River tables show a pre‑dawn high around 12:45–1:00 a.m., dropping to low water about 7:45–8:30 a.m., then a solid midday high in the early afternoon and another low in the evening. That morning outgoing and the early‑afternoon push have been the best windows. Fish activity has definitely shifted into winter mode. Steelhead reports have been spotty but encouraging: a few bright early winters showing in the lower Sandy and making their way through the Portland stretch, with bank anglers scratching out a fish or two on the Columbia plunking rigs. Most boats near town are still focused on catch‑and‑release sturgeon and late‑season coho stragglers. The last several days, guides working below the I‑205 bridge and down toward Caterpillar Island have been putting clients on decent keeper‑sized sturgeon where open, plus plenty of shakers. Most are coming on sand shrimp and smelt cocktails, with squid strips for durability. A couple of boats reported bonus walleye just upstream around Government Island edges pulling worm‑tipped crankbaits along the drop‑offs. For gear, here’s what’s been hot: - For sturgeon: 8–16 oz of lead, 4/0–6/0 circle hooks, running sand shrimp, smelt, or herring chunks. Add a little scent; the cold, colored water means they’re sniffing more than chasing. - For steelhead: small to medium soft beads in peach, orange, and cream, or pink worms under a clear float. Spinners in size 3–4 in copper or brass have taken a few along rocky shoreline seams. - For walleye: fire‑tiger and perch‑pattern crankbaits, or 3/8 oz jigs tipped with nightcrawler along the deeper Columbia edge lines. On the lure side, if you’re a hardware junkie like me, bring: - Size 3 Blue Fox‑style spinners in copper and copper/black - 1/4–3/8 oz jig heads with pink or white curly tails - For trolling: small Brad’s kokanee‑style plugs or mini cut‑plug herring behind short leaders when targeting bonus salmonids in the main current edges A couple of local hot spots to think about: - **Government Island / I‑205 stretch**: consistent sturgeon on the ledges, with the occasional winter steelhead traveling the shoreline. Work that midday incoming. - **Caterpillar Island to Frenchman’s Bar (WA side)**: deeper slots and inside turns holding sturgeon and walleye. Set up on a contour change and let the fish come to you. Bank anglers are doing best setting up early on the dropping tide with big spin‑n‑glos and bait for steelhead near the mo This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.