Columbia River Portland Fishing Report Today

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The "Columbia River, Portland Fishing Report Today" podcast delivers up-to-the-minute fishing conditions, expert tips, and local news for anglers in the Portland area. Tune in daily to get the latest updates on water levels, fish activity, and the best spots to cast your line on the Columbia River. Whether you're a seasoned fisherman or a weekend warrior, our comprehensive reports will help you make the most of your fishing adventures. For more info go to https://www.quietperiodplease.com/ Get all your gear befoe you leave the dock https://amzn.to/3zF8GXk This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.

Episodes

  1. 2d ago

    Columbia River Portland: Summer Smallmouth and Walleye Guide

    This is Artificial Lure with your Columbia River, Portland fishing report. We’re coming off a steady stretch of early summer conditions on the lower Columbia around Portland. River levels are moderate and clarity has been decent, with a light green tint and a bit of debris along the edges after recent upriver flows. Water temps are sitting in that mid‑60s sweet spot where smallmouth, walleye, and panfish stay active most of the day, while salmon and steelhead action is more hit‑or‑miss. Weather today is seasonable: cool, overcast morning giving way to broken clouds and mild afternoon temps, generally in the 70s with a light west wind building by midday. Mornings are calm, with enough ripple later to put a little chop on the flats. Sunrise is right around the early 5 o’clock hour, with sunset close to 9 in the evening, so you’ve got long low‑light windows at both ends of the day. Down here we don’t fish ocean tides, but the Columbia still feels those tidal swings. You’ll notice soft current and slight reversals in the lower reaches near St. Helens and Sauvie’s; around Portland, focus your efforts on the edges of current seams as the river “slows” and speeds back up. Those slackish periods have been good for walleye and for getting smallmouth off deeper structure. Recent reports from local anglers and shop talk around the Portland area say smallmouth bass have been consistent from Cathedral Park down to the mouth of the Willamette and on east toward Government Island. Folks are putting decent numbers in the boat: a mix of cookie‑cutter 10–14 inchers with the occasional 2–3 pound fish. Walleye catches have been steadier upstream toward Camas and near the deeper mid‑river trenches, with eaters in the 15–20 inch range and a few bigger fish for those trolling slowly along breaks. Shad are tapering but still around in pods, especially near Bonneville and down into the main Portland stretch in softer lanes. Panfish and perch are showing in the backwaters and marinas, good targets if you’ve got kids or just want fast action. Best producers right now: - For smallmouth: 3–4 inch green pumpkin or brown tube jigs, Ned rigs in natural colors, and small craw‑pattern crankbaits banged off rock. Early and late, small walking topwaters in bone or shad colors have been money on calm surfaces along riprap. - For walleye: bottom‑bouncers with worm harnesses in chartreuse, silver, or perch patterns, crawled upstream at a crawl; also 3–4 inch paddle‑tail swimbaits in white or smelt tones fished tight to the bottom on the drops. - For shad: small bright spoons, shad darts in chartreuse, pink, or white, swung just off the main current line. - For bait: nightcrawlers and sand shrimp are still hard to beat, especially for walleye and odds‑and‑ends on the bottom. Pieces of worm or small bits of shrimp under a float will keep panfish and perch rods bent in the sloughs. A couple of local hot spots to consider: - **Government Island area:** Work the rocky points and current seams on the north side for smallmouth, then slide off to deeper slots for walleye as the sun climbs. Plenty of structure, humps, and bait around. - **Sauvie Island and the Multnomah Channel mouth:** Backwaters and sloughs have been good for panfish and the occasional bass; the main river edges hold smallmouth along riprap and wing dams when current is right. Fish the mornings and evenings for the most consistent bite, especially on clear, bright days. Midday, slow down, go deeper, and lean on finesse rigs. 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

    4 min

  2. 3d ago

    Columbia River Summer: Smallmouth and Walleye Bite Strong on the Portland Stretch

    Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Columbia River fishing report for the Portland stretch. We’ve got a cool, cloudy morning on tap with light wind and highs working up into the upper 60s to low 70s by afternoon. Local forecasts call for a weak marine push, so expect some breeze funneled up the Gorge later in the day, especially east toward Troutdale. Air temps stay comfortable, but that afternoon wind can stack a little chop along the main channel. Tide-wise, around the I‑205 and I‑5 bridges you’re looking at a typical mixed river‑tide pattern. The best bite windows have been on the **first push of incoming** and the **top of high slack**, with a noticeable slowdown on the hard outgoing. That slight upstream push has been just enough to kick bait around the ledges and wake the predators up. Sunrise hit early, just after 5 a.m., and sunset will be late, around 9 p.m., so you’ve got a long day to work that low‑light bite. Water’s running cool for summer and still a bit off‑color in spots, especially where the Willamette dumps in. Visibility has been a couple of feet on average, better on the Washington side and in quieter back channels. Boat reports out of the local tackle shops say **smallmouth bass** and **walleye** are carrying the show, with a sprinkling of **shad** still around and the odd **summer steelhead** picked off the edges. Bass anglers working the riprap from Vancouver down to the airport have been seeing decent numbers of 1–2 pound smallmouth with an occasional 3–4 pound kicker. The pattern: current seams on rock, 8–15 feet deep. Top producers have been **green pumpkin tube jigs**, **3–4 inch swimbaits** in baitfish colors, and **ned rigs** in natural browns and greens. For low light, a **bone or shad‑pattern walking topwater** has been pulling some explosive strikes tight to the bank. Walleye guys trolling the main river lanes have been quietly putting fish in the box, especially just above and below Kelly Point and down toward the mouth of the Willamette. Bottom‑bounced **nightcrawlers on spinner harnesses** in chartreuse, gold, or perch patterns behind 1–2 ounce weights have been consistent. Smaller **crankbaits** in silver, firetiger, or clown colors are also producing when you can hold 1–1.5 mph in that softer, inside current. For bait, it’s hard to beat **live nightcrawlers** and **softshell crawdad imitations** for both smallmouth and walleye right now. If you’re chasing the last of the shad, small **bright spoons** or **shad darts** in chartreuse, hot pink, or orange under a modest current line will still pick them up, though that run is tapering. Couple of hot spots to circle on your map: • **Hayden Island / I‑5 Bridge area** – Work the riprap, pilings, and current breaks on both the Oregon and Washington sides. Good mix of smallmouth and incidental walleye, plus plenty of boat access and consistent summer current. • **Government Island stretch** – The rock lines and drop‑offs along the south side toward the airport have been giving up steady smallmouth action. Slide out a little deeper on the humps and lanes if you’re targeting walleye with ‘crawler harnesses. Bank anglers: look to the **Vancouver waterfront**, **Marine Drive accesses**, and anywhere you can reach rock and moderate current. Toss small swimbaits, tubes, or even a simple jig‑and‑worm combo and cover water until you bump into a school. That’s your Columbia River rundown from Artificial Lure. 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

    4 min

  3. 4d ago

    Early Summer Columbia River: Smallmouth, Walleye, and Late Springers Firing Up Around Portland

    This is Artificial Lure with your Columbia River Portland fishing report. We’ve got a classic early-summer pattern setting up on the big river. Around Portland, the Columbia is running a bit colored but fishable, with decent visibility along the edges and softer current seams. Water temps are sitting in that low-60s sweet spot, which has the smallmouth and panfish pretty fired up and the remaining springers and summer steelhead sliding through. Weather-wise, plan for a cool, damp start and a mild, partly cloudy afternoon. Expect light wind in the morning building to a noticeable west breeze later, so fish that early window if you can. Sunrise comes early and sunset is late this time of year, giving you a long low-light bite at both ends of the day. Tides don’t swing as hard up here as they do downriver, but you’ll still see that subtle push and drop that moves bait and perks up the bite. Focus on the first couple hours after the morning tide change and again late afternoon when current softens along the edges and behind the islands. Recent action: local anglers have been picking off a mix of **summer steelhead**, a few late **spring Chinook**, plenty of **smallmouth bass**, plus **walleye** in the deeper slots. Reports from regulars at the ramps and shop counters say smallies are coming 10–25 feet on rocky points and riprap. Walleye catches have been steady in the classic mid-river trenches and below dropoffs. Steelhead and the odd Chinook are showing on the upstream troll and for folks plunking from the beaches. Best producers right now: - For salmon and steelhead: 3.5 spinners in greens, chartreuse, and copper, 3.0–3.5 cut-plug herring behind short leaders, and Brad’s-style Super Baits in green chrome and watermelon. For bait, cured coon shrimp, sand shrimp, and plug-cut herring are your go-tos. - For smallmouth: 3–4 inch green pumpkin or brown tube jigs, Ned rigs, and small swimbaits along riprap and rock piles. Topwaters like small walking baits and poppers can be fantastic early and late. - For walleye: nightcrawler harnesses with chartreuse or glow blades, small paddle-tail plastics on 3/8–1/2 ounce jig heads, and blade baits hopped along bottom. A couple of local hot spots to consider: - **Government Island area**: Lots of structure, side channels, and current seams. Good for smallmouth on the rocks, walleye on the drops, and a shot at traveling steelhead or Chinook on the troll. - **Sauvie Island / Kelley Point confluence**: That mix of Columbia and Willamette water creates great current breaks. Plunkers hit steelhead and the occasional Chinook off the beaches, while boaters work walleye and smallmouth along the edges and humps. Overall fish activity has been best in the low light and whenever the wind lays down. Midday can still produce if you tighten up to structure and slow your presentation, especially for walleye and smallmouth. 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. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

    3 min

  4. 5d ago

    Columbia River Summer: Walleye, Smallmouth & Shad in the Tidewater Zone

    This is Artificial Lure with your Columbia River Portland fishing report. We’ve got a cool, gray start along the river this morning with temps in the low 50s climbing into the upper 60s later, light northwest breeze, and just a slight chance of a sprinkle midday. Cloud cover will help keep fish comfortable a little longer into the morning bite. Sunrise came right around a quarter past five, and sunset will be just after nine tonight, giving you a long window to work the edges. The Columbia here is a flow‑driven river, but tides still nudge things below Bonneville. Expect a softer, slower feel on the early morning low, then a better push and more defined current seams late morning into afternoon on the incoming. Plan your moves around those current changes—walleyes and smallmouth especially key in on that. Recent action has been mixed but promising. Local anglers have been picking up **keeper walleye** in decent numbers on the Washington side flats and ledges in 20–35 feet, with a few fish nudging the 5–7 pound class. Smallmouth bass are solid along rocky banks and riprap near Portland, with lots of 10–14 inch fish and the occasional 3‑pounder. Shad counts have been good enough that folks swinging shad darts below the dams are still filling coolers. A few late spring Chinook and summer steelhead are trickling through, but expect those to be low‑numbers, quality‑over‑quantity fish. Best producers for walleye right now are **bottom bouncers** with crawler harnesses in chartreuse, orange, or hammered silver blades, trolled just off bottom at a slow creep. When the wind lays down, vertical jigging 3/8–1/2 ounce jig heads with nightcrawlers or soft plastics in motor oil or green pumpkin will mop up stragglers. For smallmouth, think **tubes, Ned rigs, and 3–4 inch swimbaits** in natural baitfish colors. On overcast afternoons, shallow cranks and small topwaters along shaded banks can be a blast. If you’re chasing shad, stick with classic **shad darts and small spoons** in chartreuse, hot pink, or combinations of the two behind one or two small split shot. For the odd Chinook or steelhead, anchor up on a travel lane and run **plug‑cut herring** or **spinners** in green, chartreuse, or copper behind divers, or back‑troll K15–K16‑size plugs in metallic and fluorescent patterns. Hot‑spot wise, two areas stand out: - **Gobblers Knob / Lady Island area near Camas–Washougal:** Good walleye structure with classic ledges, scattered rock, and current breaks. Troll the 20–35 foot contour along the channel edges and watch your electronics for bait clouds and arcs tight to bottom. - **Sauvie Island / mouth of the Willamette confluence zone:** Current seams, baitfish, and mixed depth give you a real grab bag—smallmouth along riprap, sturgeon deeper in the holes, and occasional salmonids passing through. Work the rocky points for bass, then slide out and drag gear for walleye when the sun gets higher. Live **nightcrawlers** remain top bait for walleye and a solid option for panfish and incidental smallmouth. For scent, wrap your plugs or add a small strip of herring or anchovy to keep them honest. Fluorocarbon leaders and lighter wire hooks help in the clearer summer flows. That’s the word from the big river in our backyard. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a 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

    3 min
  • 4 Episodes

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The "Columbia River, Portland Fishing Report Today" podcast delivers up-to-the-minute fishing conditions, expert tips, and local news for anglers in the Portland area. Tune in daily to get the latest updates on water levels, fish activity, and the best spots to cast your line on the Columbia River. Whether you're a seasoned fisherman or a weekend warrior, our comprehensive reports will help you make the most of your fishing adventures. For more info go to https://www.quietperiodplease.com/ Get all your gear befoe you leave the dock https://amzn.to/3zF8GXk This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.

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