Artificial Lure here with your August 28 Columbia River fishing update, straight from the banks and boat ramps around Portland. Today saw classic late-summer conditions—warm air, a gentle NW breeze, and the river moving cool and green with light turbidity. Sunrise came in at 5:57 AM and sunset just wrapped at 8:35 PM, so anglers got a full stretch of daylight to play with. Tides at the Morrison Street Bridge started with a low at 4:43 AM, peaked high at 8:56 AM, and the evening drop finished off the bite windows in the late hours, perfect for a closing troll or casting session.

Chinook salmon are leading the charge right now. The action is sporadic but picking up steam, with more fish pushing upriver each tide cycle—expect things to stay strong for the next couple weeks as the fall run ramps. If you're out for Coho, they're showing but still not quite "thick." Coho catches have increased upstream after Willamette Falls, mostly on spinners and wobblers. The deep shipping channels downstream are producing surprisingly well; local guides on the water around Buoy 10 and near the sawdust pile report a "ton of fish" hitting, especially in ripping current—sometimes you’re looking at sustained flows of 5 to 7 mph, so heavy gear is essential. Veteran bank anglers near the Portland waterfront are still plugging away for steelhead, but action is slower due to cold, clear conditions.

Best lures this week? Anchovy trolled behind chartreuse or flame-orange 360 flashers are king, with trolling setups the go-to for Chinook. Ye olde 3.5 Mag Lips and Brad’s Cut Plugs in metallic or glow patterns are getting bites, especially at dawn and dusk. For Coho and steelhead, smaller spinners in silver, green, or pink plus Krocodiles are top picks. Bankies tossing soft plastics—like the Dry Creek Double Dip Tube and the classic curly tail grub in pumpkinseed or smoke glitter—reported solid smallmouth bass near rocky structure mid-river. On bait, go with cured shrimp, sand shrimp, or a thread of tuna belly to up the strike odds for salmon.

Hot spots to hit? The edge of the shipping channel downstream of Sauvie Island is firing, especially in the early morning. Up near the Portland Harbor, the area below the Morrison Bridge provides consistent bites, especially on incoming tide changes. For those looking to stretch south, the mouth of the Willamette continues to surprise with mixed bags—Chinook early, Coho late, and the odd steelhead if you’re persistent.

For gear, check out Coldwater Strong’s Columbia River Bank Leader System—it’s built for fast drop resets and keeps your wobbler dancing even in heavy current. Don’t forget to add float leaders and play with your weight to stay just above bottom snags.

The weather? Mild, dry, and stable through the weekend, with only light cloud cover expected. Should keep the bite steady, but remember, bursts of wind in the late afternoon could stir up chop. Fish early or late for best results.

That’s the scoop for the Columbia around Portland—tight lines and good luck out there. Thanks so much for tuning in to today’s fishing report! Be sure to hit subscribe and stay in the loop for daily action. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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Artificial Lure here with your Columbia River fishing report for June 22, 2025, covering the Portland area and just upstream.

The morning kicked off with a moderate tide, peaking around 7:45 am and dropping to a low about 2:30 pm, so if you’re planning to hit the river today, try fishing the early morning high or the late afternoon incoming for your best chances. Sunrise came in at 5:24 am with sunset at 9:01 pm, giving you a long stretch of daylight to work with. The forecast called for light rain showers off and on, a bit of a cool-down but also the trigger we needed for a fresh push of fish into the system, especially the migratory runs.

Shad are still running strong through the lower Columbia, and the bite has been reported as “good” with anglers finding steady action near the mouth of the Willamette and Sauvie Island’s beaches. Sabiki rigs, small gold spoons, and classic shad darts in pink, chartreuse, and silver are your best bet here. Several anglers landed their limits before noon.

Walleye fishing remains white-hot in the John Day Pool, with multiple reports of successful catches using bottom bouncers tipped with nightcrawlers and chartreuse bladed rigs. The average size has been 17 to 24 inches, with a few larger fish over 6 pounds showing up for lucky anglers who work the drop-offs and current seams.

Smallmouth bass fishing is absolutely firing as water temps have stabilized in the upper 60s. The shad migration has the bass pushing up on shallow flats and weed lines. Shad-imitating swim baits, like the Keitech FAT Swing Impact in Smallmouth Magic or French Pearl, are producing big numbers and a few trophy-sized fish. Topwater action is peaking at dawn and dusk—walking baits, poppers, and buzzbaits are getting smoked over submerged structure. It’s not uncommon to land 30–50 bass in a day right now.

Salmon and steelhead are a mixed bag. The summer steelhead run is slow, with only scattered reports of hookups, mostly by bank anglers drifting cured salmon eggs or tossing nightcrawlers and prawn combos. Sockeye numbers are lower than last year, but some are coming through—look for the deeper, cooler channels near the I-205 bridge.

If you’re after sturgeon, Oregon City continues to impress. Local guides are reporting good catch-and-release action, especially using fresh squid and sand shrimp. Sturgeon up to 5 feet are not uncommon, and with the rain, expect a few big ones to move in.

Today’s hot spots:
- Meldrum Bar: red-hot for shad and the occasional steelhead.
- Sauvie Island beaches: limits of shad early, plus solid bass action near the slough mouths.
- Willamette-Columbia confluence: consistent for walleye and a solid chance at a bonus sturgeon.

That’s the latest from your expert on the water. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for your daily river rundown. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

Artificial Lure here with your Saturday, June 21st Columbia River fishing report, coming to you from in and around Portland.

We kicked off today with a sunrise at 5:22 am, and we’ll see sunset at 9:03 pm. Expect partly cloudy skies, highs near 75, and a light westerly breeze—fantastic conditions for a day on the water. Tides are moderate today, with the morning high peaking around 7:45 am and an afternoon low bottoming out close to 2:30 pm, so plan your sessions accordingly for those moving water opportunities.

Shad fishing remains strong throughout the lower Columbia around Portland. Local anglers are reporting excellent numbers, especially targeting the current seams near Willamette confluence and just downstream of the I-205 bridge. Shad darts in bright chartreuse, pink, or gold are your best bet—get them swinging through the flats and you’ll have steady action all morning. Word from the bank is several folks are hitting limits before lunch.

Walleye action is heating up as well, especially in deeper holes and channel edges of the John Day Pool. Blade baits and worm harnesses in fire tiger and perch patterns are really putting fish in the boat this week, and a few chunky ‘eyes over 25 inches have been confirmed by local guides.

Summer steelhead continue to be a slow grind—they’re trickling in, but persistence pays off. Early mornings drifting cured salmon eggs or sand shrimp just above the bottom has produced a handful of solid fish for bank anglers near the mouth of the Sandy River and around the Troutdale area. For lure fans, swinging spoons and spinners in copper or orange during the first light window can also draw strikes.

Smallmouth bass fishing is about as good as it gets right now. Reports up and down the river: 20- to 40-fish days are common, with a few lunkers in the 3- to 5-pound range. Key in on rocky points and flats from Government Island to St. Helens. Shad-imitation swim baits like a Keitech FAT Swing Impact (colors like Smallmouth Magic and Ghost Rainbow) are crushing it, and topwater lures are getting explosive hits along riprap and weed beds—especially early and late.

Hot spots to hit today:
- The mouth of the Sandy River for steelhead and shad
- The flats along Government Island for bass
- The deeper slots near the I-205 bridge for walleye

As a quick regulatory update—summer chinook retention is currently limited, and sockeye numbers are down compared to last season. Always double-check the latest ODFW reg updates before you head out.

That’s the local scoop for your Columbia River fishing this Saturday. Thanks for tuning in—don’t forget to subscribe to stay up to date on the bite. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

Artificial Lure here with your Columbia River Portland fishing report for Saturday, June 21, 2025.

We’re off to a classic early summer start on the Columbia. Sunrise this morning hit at 5:22 a.m., with sunset coming at 9:02 p.m., giving us a long window to wet a line. The skies over Portland today are overcast, temps hovering in the high 60s to low 70s, and a south breeze picking up by midmorning. According to the latest tidal charts, expect a substantial morning incoming tide, peaking just after 9 a.m.—prime time for targeting most species, especially shad, bass, and sturgeon in the metro section.

The shad run is firing on all cylinders, with schools thick below Bonneville and all the way down to St. Helens. Plenty of boats are reporting fast action—think double-digit catches per rod, especially at hot spots like the Willamette-Columbia confluence and Meldrum Bar. Chartreuse and silver shad darts or small spoons are still the top picks—don’t be afraid to move until you land on a school, as these fish will be stacked in fast water seams.

Walleye fishing is another bright spot, especially up around the John Day Pool, but closer to Portland the Multnomah Channel and mouth of the Willamette are dependable. Drifting nightcrawlers on a worm harness or trolling deep-diving crankbaits in perch or firetiger patterns is producing limits for persistent anglers.

Bass anglers are having a heyday with the river warming up. Smallmouths are actively chasing shad, so swim baits that mimic young shad, like Keitech FAT Swing Impact in Smallmouth Magic or Ghost Rainbow, are putting up big numbers. Early morning topwater—think Whopper Ploppers and poppers—are getting explosive strikes along rocky ledges and outside weed beds from Hayden Island down to Sauvie Island. Twenty to fifty fish per day is not uncommon if you stay mobile and work the structure.

Chinook retention is closed for adults in the Portland stretch this summer due to a low forecast, but hatchery jacks are open and showing up in small numbers, mostly up around the airport and Troutdale. If you target steelhead, remember regulations allow only one hatchery fish per day right now, but a few bright hatchery fish have been caught this week. Best bets are drift fishing cured salmon eggs or shrimp under a slip bobber in the fast runs near the mouth of the Sandy and Lewis rivers, or trolling small spinners (blue and silver, or orange and gold) in the main river.

For bait, steelheaders are scoring with cured salmon eggs, sand shrimp, and occasionally nightcrawlers, especially when fished at first light or just before dusk as the sun gets low over the west hills.

If you’re looking to maximize the action, hot spots today are the rocky shorelines below the I-205 bridge for smallmouth, the shad lanes below the Willamette mouth, and Meldrum Bar for a shot at both shad and early steelhead.

Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for your daily dose of river intel. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease dot ai.

Artificial Lure here with your Columbia River Portland fishing report for Saturday, June 21, 2025.

We’re off to a classic early summer start on the Columbia. Sunrise this morning hit at 5:22 a.m., with sunset coming at 9:02 p.m., giving us a long window to wet a line. The skies over Portland today are overcast, temps hovering in the high 60s to low 70s, and a south breeze picking up by midmorning. According to the latest tidal charts, expect a substantial morning incoming tide, peaking just after 9 a.m.—prime time for targeting most species, especially shad, bass, and sturgeon in the metro section.

The shad run is firing on all cylinders, with schools thick below Bonneville and all the way down to St. Helens. Plenty of boats are reporting fast action—think double-digit catches per rod, especially at hot spots like the Willamette-Columbia confluence and Meldrum Bar. Chartreuse and silver shad darts or small spoons are still the top picks—don’t be afraid to move until you land on a school, as these fish will be stacked in fast water seams.

Walleye fishing is another bright spot, especially up around the John Day Pool, but closer to Portland the Multnomah Channel and mouth of the Willamette are dependable. Drifting nightcrawlers on a worm harness or trolling deep-diving crankbaits in perch or firetiger patterns is producing limits for persistent anglers.

Bass anglers are having a heyday with the river warming up. Smallmouths are actively chasing shad, so swim baits that mimic young shad, like Keitech FAT Swing Impact in Smallmouth Magic or Ghost Rainbow, are putting up big numbers. Early morning topwater—think Whopper Ploppers and poppers—are getting explosive strikes along rocky ledges and outside weed beds from Hayden Island down to Sauvie Island. Twenty to fifty fish per day is not uncommon if you stay mobile and work the structure.

Chinook retention is closed for adults in the Portland stretch this summer due to a low forecast, but hatchery jacks are open and showing up in small numbers, mostly up around the airport and Troutdale. If you target steelhead, remember regulations allow only one hatchery fish per day right now, but a few bright hatchery fish have been caught this week. Best bets are drift fishing cured salmon eggs or shrimp under a slip bobber in the fast runs near the mouth of the Sandy and Lewis rivers, or trolling small spinners (blue and silver, or orange and gold) in the main river.

For bait, steelheaders are scoring with cured salmon eggs, sand shrimp, and occasionally nightcrawlers, especially when fished at first light or just before dusk as the sun gets low over the west hills.

If you’re looking to maximize the action, hot spots today are the rocky shorelines below the I-205 bridge for smallmouth, the shad lanes below the Willamette mouth, and Meldrum Bar for a shot at both shad and early steelhead.

Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for your daily dose of river intel. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease dot ai.

Artificial Lure here with your Columbia River Portland fishing report for Saturday, June 21, 2025.

We’re off to a classic early summer start on the Columbia. Sunrise this morning hit at 5:22 a.m., with sunset coming at 9:02 p.m., giving us a long window to wet a line. The skies over Portland today are overcast, temps hovering in the high 60s to low 70s, and a south breeze picking up by midmorning. According to the latest tidal charts, expect a substantial morning incoming tide, peaking just after 9 a.m.—prime time for targeting most species, especially shad, bass, and sturgeon in the metro section.

The shad run is firing on all cylinders, with schools thick below Bonneville and all the way down to St. Helens. Plenty of boats are reporting fast action—think double-digit catches per rod, especially at hot spots like the Willamette-Columbia confluence and Meldrum Bar. Chartreuse and silver shad darts or small spoons are still the top picks—don’t be afraid to move until you land on a school, as these fish will be stacked in fast water seams.

Walleye fishing is another bright spot, especially up around the John Day Pool, but closer to Portland the Multnomah Channel and mouth of the Willamette are dependable. Drifting nightcrawlers on a worm harness or trolling deep-diving crankbaits in perch or firetiger patterns is producing limits for persistent anglers.

Bass anglers are having a heyday with the river warming up. Smallmouths are actively chasing shad, so swim baits that mimic young shad, like Keitech FAT Swing Impact in Smallmouth Magic or Ghost Rainbow, are putting up big numbers. Early morning topwater—think Whopper Ploppers and poppers—are getting explosive strikes along rocky ledges and outside weed beds from Hayden Island down to Sauvie Island. Twenty to fifty fish per day is not uncommon if you stay mobile and work the structure.

Chinook retention is closed for adults in the Portland stretch this summer due to a low forecast, but hatchery jacks are open and showing up in small numbers, mostly up around the airport and Troutdale. If you target steelhead, remember regulations allow only one hatchery fish per day right now, but a few bright hatchery fish have been caught this week. Best bets are drift fishing cured salmon eggs or shrimp under a slip bobber in the fast runs near the mouth of the Sandy and Lewis rivers, or trolling small spinners (blue and silver, or orange and gold) in the main river.

For bait, steelheaders are scoring with cured salmon eggs, sand shrimp, and occasionally nightcrawlers, especially when fished at first light or just before dusk as the sun gets low over the west hills.

If you’re looking to maximize the action, hot spots today are the rocky shorelines below the I-205 bridge for smallmouth, the shad lanes below the Willamette mouth, and Meldrum Bar for a shot at both shad and early steelhead.

Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for your daily dose of river intel. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease dot ai.

Artificial Lure here with your Columbia River Portland fishing report for Saturday, June 21, 2025.

We’re off to a classic early summer start on the Columbia. Sunrise this morning hit at 5:22 a.m., with sunset coming at 9:02 p.m., giving us a long window to wet a line. The skies over Portland today are overcast, temps hovering in the high 60s to low 70s, and a south breeze picking up by midmorning. According to the latest tidal charts, expect a substantial morning incoming tide, peaking just after 9 a.m.—prime time for targeting most species, especially shad, bass, and sturgeon in the metro section.

The shad run is firing on all cylinders, with schools thick below Bonneville and all the way down to St. Helens. Plenty of boats are reporting fast action—think double-digit catches per rod, especially at hot spots like the Willamette-Columbia confluence and Meldrum Bar. Chartreuse and silver shad darts or small spoons are still the top picks—don’t be afraid to move until you land on a school, as these fish will be stacked in fast water seams.

Walleye fishing is another bright spot, especially up around the John Day Pool, but closer to Portland the Multnomah Channel and mouth of the Willamette are dependable. Drifting nightcrawlers on a worm harness or trolling deep-diving crankbaits in perch or firetiger patterns is producing limits for persistent anglers.

Bass anglers are having a heyday with the river warming up. Smallmouths are actively chasing shad, so swim baits that mimic young shad, like Keitech FAT Swing Impact in Smallmouth Magic or Ghost Rainbow, are putting up big numbers. Early morning topwater—think Whopper Ploppers and poppers—are getting explosive strikes along rocky ledges and outside weed beds from Hayden Island down to Sauvie Island. Twenty to fifty fish per day is not uncommon if you stay mobile and work the structure.

Chinook retention is closed for adults in the Portland stretch this summer due to a low forecast, but hatchery jacks are open and showing up in small numbers, mostly up around the airport and Troutdale. If you target steelhead, remember regulations allow only one hatchery fish per day right now, but a few bright hatchery fish have been caught this week. Best bets are drift fishing cured salmon eggs or shrimp under a slip bobber in the fast runs near the mouth of the Sandy and Lewis rivers, or trolling small spinners (blue and silver, or orange and gold) in the main river.

For bait, steelheaders are scoring with cured salmon eggs, sand shrimp, and occasionally nightcrawlers, especially when fished at first light or just before dusk as the sun gets low over the west hills.

If you’re looking to maximize the action, hot spots today are the rocky shorelines below the I-205 bridge for smallmouth, the shad lanes below the Willamette mouth, and Meldrum Bar for a shot at both shad and early steelhead.

Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for your daily dose of river intel. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease dot ai.

Artificial Lure here with your Columbia River Portland fishing report for Saturday, June 21, 2025.

We’re off to a classic early summer start on the Columbia. Sunrise this morning hit at 5:22 a.m., with sunset coming at 9:02 p.m., giving us a long window to wet a line. The skies over Portland today are overcast, temps hovering in the high 60s to low 70s, and a south breeze picking up by midmorning. According to the latest tidal charts, expect a substantial morning incoming tide, peaking just after 9 a.m.—prime time for targeting most species, especially shad, bass, and sturgeon in the metro section.

The shad run is firing on all cylinders, with schools thick below Bonneville and all the way down to St. Helens. Plenty of boats are reporting fast action—think double-digit catches per rod, especially at hot spots like the Willamette-Columbia confluence and Meldrum Bar. Chartreuse and silver shad darts or small spoons are still the top picks—don’t be afraid to move until you land on a school, as these fish will be stacked in fast water seams.

Walleye fishing is another bright spot, especially up around the John Day Pool, but closer to Portland the Multnomah Channel and mouth of the Willamette are dependable. Drifting nightcrawlers on a worm harness or trolling deep-diving crankbaits in perch or firetiger patterns is producing limits for persistent anglers.

Bass anglers are having a heyday with the river warming up. Smallmouths are actively chasing shad, so swim baits that mimic young shad, like Keitech FAT Swing Impact in Smallmouth Magic or Ghost Rainbow, are putting up big numbers. Early morning topwater—think Whopper Ploppers and poppers—are getting explosive strikes along rocky ledges and outside weed beds from Hayden Island down to Sauvie Island. Twenty to fifty fish per day is not uncommon if you stay mobile and work the structure.

Chinook retention is closed for adults in the Portland stretch this summer due to a low forecast, but hatchery jacks are open and showing up in small numbers, mostly up around the airport and Troutdale. If you target steelhead, remember regulations allow only one hatchery fish per day right now, but a few bright hatchery fish have been caught this week. Best bets are drift fishing cured salmon eggs or shrimp under a slip bobber in the fast runs near the mouth of the Sandy and Lewis rivers, or trolling small spinners (blue and silver, or orange and gold) in the main river.

For bait, steelheaders are scoring with cured salmon eggs, sand shrimp, and occasionally nightcrawlers, especially when fished at first light or just before dusk as the sun gets low over the west hills.

If you’re looking to maximize the action, hot spots today are the rocky shorelines below the I-205 bridge for smallmouth, the shad lanes below the Willamette mouth, and Meldrum Bar for a shot at both shad and early steelhead.

Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for your daily dose of river intel. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease dot ai.

Artificial Lure here with your Columbia River Portland fishing report for Saturday, June 21, 2025.

We’re off to a classic early summer start on the Columbia. Sunrise this morning hit at 5:22 a.m., with sunset coming at 9:02 p.m., giving us a long window to wet a line. The skies over Portland today are overcast, temps hovering in the high 60s to low 70s, and a south breeze picking up by midmorning. According to the latest tidal charts, expect a substantial morning incoming tide, peaking just after 9 a.m.—prime time for targeting most species, especially shad, bass, and sturgeon in the metro section.

The shad run is firing on all cylinders, with schools thick below Bonneville and all the way down to St. Helens. Plenty of boats are reporting fast action—think double-digit catches per rod, especially at hot spots like the Willamette-Columbia confluence and Meldrum Bar. Chartreuse and silver shad darts or small spoons are still the top picks—don’t be afraid to move until you land on a school, as these fish will be stacked in fast water seams.

Walleye fishing is another bright spot, especially up around the John Day Pool, but closer to Portland the Multnomah Channel and mouth of the Willamette are dependable. Drifting nightcrawlers on a worm harness or trolling deep-diving crankbaits in perch or firetiger patterns is producing limits for persistent anglers.

Bass anglers are having a heyday with the river warming up. Smallmouths are actively chasing shad, so swim baits that mimic young shad, like Keitech FAT Swing Impact in Smallmouth Magic or Ghost Rainbow, are putting up big numbers. Early morning topwater—think Whopper Ploppers and poppers—are getting explosive strikes along rocky ledges and outside weed beds from Hayden Island down to Sauvie Island. Twenty to fifty fish per day is not uncommon if you stay mobile and work the structure.

Chinook retention is closed for adults in the Portland stretch this summer due to a low forecast, but hatchery jacks are open and showing up in small numbers, mostly up around the airport and Troutdale. If you target steelhead, remember regulations allow only one hatchery fish per day right now, but a few bright hatchery fish have been caught this week. Best bets are drift fishing cured salmon eggs or shrimp under a slip bobber in the fast runs near the mouth of the Sandy and Lewis rivers, or trolling small spinners (blue and silver, or orange and gold) in the main river.

For bait, steelheaders are scoring with cured salmon eggs, sand shrimp, and occasionally nightcrawlers, especially when fished at first light or just before dusk as the sun gets low over the west hills.

If you’re looking to maximize the action, hot spots today are the rocky shorelines below the I-205 bridge for smallmouth, the shad lanes below the Willamette mouth, and Meldrum Bar for a shot at both shad and early steelhead.

Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for your daily dose of river intel. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease dot ai.

Artificial Lure coming to you with today’s Columbia River fishing report for Portland, Friday, June 20, 2025.

We’re rolling into that early summer groove, with the summer season officially underway as of June 16. The weather today is looking like a classic Pacific Northwest June morning—expect mild temps in the low 60s at sunrise, with highs pushing to the mid-70s by afternoon. Skies should be partly cloudy, and there’s just a light breeze out of the northwest. Sunrise hit us early at 5:22 a.m. and you’ll have daylight all the way to sunset at 9:03 p.m.

The tide is outgoing this morning and will bottom out mid-morning, swinging back in around noon for a strong afternoon incoming tide—prime conditions for anything from shad to walleye.

We’re on the tail end of the spring Chinook run, but don’t hang it up—the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife confirms summer seasons are now open. Retention of jack hatchery Chinook and hatchery steelhead started up June 16 from the Astoria-Megler Bridge all the way upstream to the Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco, Washington. With a lower than average summer Chinook forecast, adult retention is closed below Priest Rapids Dam, so make sure you’re dialed into current regs—no sense getting pinched this early in the season. Also, hatchery steelhead can be kept through July 31 with a reduced bag limit of just one fish per day in this stretch.

Anglers are reporting solid walleye action in the John Day Pool, which tends to translate to decent walleye activity in Portland’s stretch of river too. According to Captain Experiences, sturgeon fishing has been fantastic lately, with many groups landing multiple fish per trip—check above the Willamette confluence for your best shot at a keeper.

Shad are running strong in the lower river and the bite is picking up. Use bright-colored darts or spoons—silver and chartreuse are especially hot this week. For walleye, stick to fire tiger or perch-patterned crankbaits bounced along drop-offs, or try plastics on a jighead in deeper slots.

Chinook and steelhead chasers are having the best luck with prawn spinners or cut plug herring, especially on the incoming tide. Don’t overlook fresh sand shrimp for steelhead. Early bird gets the worm, so hit those riffles and current seams at first light. For bank anglers, try the stretch around Cathedral Park or Sauvie Island for access and plenty of room.

Two hotspots to pin on your map: the mouth of the Willamette River, just downstream from Kelly Point, and the waters around Government Island. Both have been producing a mix of shad, the occasional late Chinook, and plenty of willing sturgeon.

That covers it for today’s action. Thanks for tuning in—don’t forget to subscribe for your daily fishing fix. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.