This is Artificial Lure with your Columbia River Portland fishing report.
On the lower Columbia around Portland, we’re sitting on a soft summer pattern now. Overnight temps dropped into the low 50s, daytime pushing into the 70s with light northwest wind, mostly clear skies, and just enough breeze in the afternoon to ruffle the water. Local marine and weather stations are calling for stable barometer and only a slight chance of a brief sprinkle up toward evening. That steady pressure usually means predictable fish behavior.
Sunrise is right around the early five o’clock hour, with sunset close to nine in the evening, so you’ve got long low‑light windows to work with. First light until about 9 a.m. and then again the last two hours before dark are your prime feeding bites.
Tide-wise, the lower river is feeling that coastal push. Expect a decent morning flood easing late morning, then an afternoon ebb that really starts rolling. On the Portland stretch, the “tide” shows up mostly as current changes: softer pushes on the inside bends and around the harbor. Fish are keying on those little current seams when the flow shifts—perfect time to be on anchor or making controlled drifts.
Recent reports from local shops and guides up and down the metro reach say the spring Chinook show is mostly wrapped, but there are still a few late stragglers and summer Chinook mixing in below the I‑205 bridge. Most of the catch lately has been a mix of keeper walleye, some chunky smallmouth, and scattered shad with the tail end of the run sliding by.
For salmon, the handful still coming in are being picked off on 3.5 spinners in chartreuse or copper behind Pro-Troll style flashers, or plug‑cut herring on short leaders just off bottom. Anglers are talking one fish here, one there, not a numbers game, so grind the travel lanes: 18–30 feet along the Oregon side below the St. Johns bridge.
Walleye action has been steady, especially downriver toward the mouth of the Willamette and the deeper slots off Government Island. Bottom bouncers with worm harnesses in chartreuse, silver, or perch pattern are putting fish in the box. Blade baits and small jigging spoons in 25–40 feet are also scoring when the current eases. Typical take is a half‑dozen eaters in a morning for dialed‑in boats, with some reports of 20‑fish days when they school tight.
Smallmouth bass are chewing hard along rocky banks and riprap. Ned rigs in green pumpkin, 3–4 inch finesse swimbaits, and small crankbaits in craw or shad patterns are the ticket. Focus on shaded rock, pilings, and eddies; you can easily pluck a dozen or more feisty bronzebacks in a few hours if you stay mobile.
Best bait and lure picks right now:
- Salmon: plug‑cut herring, anchovy, 3.5 spinners, Brad’s Super Baits on short leaders behind rotating flashers.
- Walleye: nightcrawlers on harnesses, chartreuse/silver blades, 1–2 ounce bottom bouncers, plus 1/2–3/4 ounce jigging spoons.
- Smallmouth: Ned rigs, tube jigs, small squarebills, and little swimbaits on 1/8–1/4 ounce heads.
Couple of local hot spots:
- The Portland Harbor stretch from the St. Johns bridge down past Swan Island—good mixed bag shot at salmon lanes, smallmouth on riprap, and roaming walleye on the deeper edges.
- Around Government Island and the I‑205 bridge—classic walleye water on the drops, plus solid smallmouth along the rocky shoreline and wing dams.
That’s your Columbia River Portland report from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next update.
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