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Columbia River Fishing Report 10/15/2025 - Salmon, Bass, and More Biting Strong at Dawn and Dusk
Published 6 months, 2 weeks ago
Description
Artificial Lure with the Columbia River fishing report for Portland, October 15th, 2025.
Sunrise came at 7:06 am, and sunset will be at 6:56 pm. The day started cool and overcast with light wind out of the northwest, a perfect recipe for solid action as we shift deeper into fall. Water temps are cooling, and with a First Quarter Moon tonight, the bite windows have lined up nicely. According to FishingReminder, major bite times today are 5:52-7:52 am and 6:13-8:13 pm, with minor periods in the early afternoon and late night. Tides are minimal, with a low at 8:33 am, high at 1:05 pm, another low around 8:10 pm, and a late high at 11:20 pm.
Recent catches logged on Fishbrain show anglers pulling in decent numbers and size of **Chinook salmon**, **Coho salmon**, and **smallmouth bass** off the Columbia, and yellow perch and largescale sucker are still showing in Spring Creek. The Willamette, just downstream, has been good for smallmouths with some pushing 2 pounds. Largemouth bass are also biting in the creeks feeding into the system, and channel catfish have made a late appearance on nightcrawlers and cut bait along Tryon Creek. Rainbow trout reports are down closer to the Peninsula Drainage Canal, where bank action has been steady.
The most productive lures lately have been **silver and blue spoons** (classic for fall salmon), **3-5 inch swimbaits** in perch or smelt patterns, and **chartreuse spinnerbaits** for bass. For bait, locals are getting consistent results with **sand shrimp** and cured roe for salmon, while **worms** and **cut bait** are pulling in catfish and some sturgeon. Early light hours are triggering more aggressive strikes, especially just after low tide and during the major bite window.
Two hot spots to hit if you’re out today:
- **Tomahawk Island Marina:** Ideal for bank fishing or launching if you’ve got a boat, especially around slack tide and into the evening bite.
- **Broughton Beach:** Good shore access near deeper channels and current seams, perfect for salmon or bass glide casting. Hayden Bay and Jantzen Beach Moorage are also getting traffic, especially for folks drifting bait or tossing spoons.
Word on the docks is that the river is still holding a mix of salmon moving up, and bass stacking near structure as the baitfish ball up with cooling temps. More than 6,000 smallmouth and nearly 5,000 largemouth have been logged in the Portland area recently, so don’t overlook main river points or the mouths of smaller creeks. Remember, with the salmon runs still pushing, best action is at dawn and dusk when tides coincide with major bite times.
Check water access, fish regs, and keep it local—Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is always updating rules, so make sure you’re dialed in, especially for salmon and sturgeon retention.
Thanks for tuning in and tight lines out there. Don’t forget to subscribe for more fishing reports and tips. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.
Sunrise came at 7:06 am, and sunset will be at 6:56 pm. The day started cool and overcast with light wind out of the northwest, a perfect recipe for solid action as we shift deeper into fall. Water temps are cooling, and with a First Quarter Moon tonight, the bite windows have lined up nicely. According to FishingReminder, major bite times today are 5:52-7:52 am and 6:13-8:13 pm, with minor periods in the early afternoon and late night. Tides are minimal, with a low at 8:33 am, high at 1:05 pm, another low around 8:10 pm, and a late high at 11:20 pm.
Recent catches logged on Fishbrain show anglers pulling in decent numbers and size of **Chinook salmon**, **Coho salmon**, and **smallmouth bass** off the Columbia, and yellow perch and largescale sucker are still showing in Spring Creek. The Willamette, just downstream, has been good for smallmouths with some pushing 2 pounds. Largemouth bass are also biting in the creeks feeding into the system, and channel catfish have made a late appearance on nightcrawlers and cut bait along Tryon Creek. Rainbow trout reports are down closer to the Peninsula Drainage Canal, where bank action has been steady.
The most productive lures lately have been **silver and blue spoons** (classic for fall salmon), **3-5 inch swimbaits** in perch or smelt patterns, and **chartreuse spinnerbaits** for bass. For bait, locals are getting consistent results with **sand shrimp** and cured roe for salmon, while **worms** and **cut bait** are pulling in catfish and some sturgeon. Early light hours are triggering more aggressive strikes, especially just after low tide and during the major bite window.
Two hot spots to hit if you’re out today:
- **Tomahawk Island Marina:** Ideal for bank fishing or launching if you’ve got a boat, especially around slack tide and into the evening bite.
- **Broughton Beach:** Good shore access near deeper channels and current seams, perfect for salmon or bass glide casting. Hayden Bay and Jantzen Beach Moorage are also getting traffic, especially for folks drifting bait or tossing spoons.
Word on the docks is that the river is still holding a mix of salmon moving up, and bass stacking near structure as the baitfish ball up with cooling temps. More than 6,000 smallmouth and nearly 5,000 largemouth have been logged in the Portland area recently, so don’t overlook main river points or the mouths of smaller creeks. Remember, with the salmon runs still pushing, best action is at dawn and dusk when tides coincide with major bite times.
Check water access, fish regs, and keep it local—Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is always updating rules, so make sure you’re dialed in, especially for salmon and sturgeon retention.
Thanks for tuning in and tight lines out there. Don’t forget to subscribe for more fishing reports and tips. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.