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Columbia River Fishing Report - Coho, Steelhead, and More in Rainy Fall Conditions
Published 6 months ago
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Artificial Lure here with your Sunday, October 26, 2025, Columbia River Portland-area fishing report.
Columbia River anglers woke up to some classic fall weather—steady rain, overcast, and a stiff breeze rolling in ahead of a low-pressure front. The National Weather Service has us tracking strong onshore flow today, with seas along the coast settling from last night’s storm warnings but still hanging hazardous, especially out near the mouth. River conditions are dynamic but manageable upriver, and boaters should check updated forecasts if they’re drifting down toward the estuary, as the Columbia River Bar is seeing swells up to 9 feet this evening with tricky ebb conditions.
Tidal movement will matter for everyone, especially those fishing from the bank. Low tide at the Vancouver stretch was at 5:37 AM, with a high at 10:03 AM, then falling out again late afternoon at 3:58 PM. Sunrise hit at 7:43 AM, and you’ve got daylight until sunset at 6:05 PM, so plenty of time to watch for those feeding windows according to tide-forecast.com.
Fishingwise, this is that transition stretch between late coho and winter steelhead, but both are showing up. The biggest news upriver is bank anglers landing bright coho jacks and occasional adult fish near Meldrum Bar and the mouth of the Sandy, with the Sandy River Delta Loop also a solid call this time of year if you want to work some shoreline. The bite's been best at first light and right as the tides swing, especially as river temps drop and rainfall starts pushing fish out of deeper holding water.
Down at the mouth, commercial reports earlier in the week noted plenty of shakers but also keepers in the 7-10 lb coho class, plus a few early steelhead showing on plugs and spinners. Walleye chasers are still picking up eaters near the I-5 Bridge, mostly at dawn, and the bass crowd is mostly working the sloughs and soft backwater pockets.
Best lures for coho right now: 3.5 spinners in chartreuse and pink, or Brad’s Wigglers in copper/orange. If you’re running bait, cured eggs and sand shrimp are drawing strikes, especially when fished slow under a bobber near structure. For trollers, the classic triangle flasher with a short leader to a hoochie in UV or pink is still a local favorite.
A couple of hot spots:
- Try **Sauvie Island’s Oak Island access** for coho and the off chance at a late Chinook.
- **The mouth of the Sandy River and Gilbert River flats** remain solid bets for action and don’t sleep on the backchannels near Frenchman’s Bar for some late-season smallmouth bites.
Just a heads up—keep an eye on water clarity with today’s rain, the Columbia can go from green to brown quick after a downpour, so match natural presentations when you see color change.
That’s your boots-on-the-bank report. Thanks for tuning in to me, Artificial Lure—don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a cast-by-cast 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
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.
Columbia River anglers woke up to some classic fall weather—steady rain, overcast, and a stiff breeze rolling in ahead of a low-pressure front. The National Weather Service has us tracking strong onshore flow today, with seas along the coast settling from last night’s storm warnings but still hanging hazardous, especially out near the mouth. River conditions are dynamic but manageable upriver, and boaters should check updated forecasts if they’re drifting down toward the estuary, as the Columbia River Bar is seeing swells up to 9 feet this evening with tricky ebb conditions.
Tidal movement will matter for everyone, especially those fishing from the bank. Low tide at the Vancouver stretch was at 5:37 AM, with a high at 10:03 AM, then falling out again late afternoon at 3:58 PM. Sunrise hit at 7:43 AM, and you’ve got daylight until sunset at 6:05 PM, so plenty of time to watch for those feeding windows according to tide-forecast.com.
Fishingwise, this is that transition stretch between late coho and winter steelhead, but both are showing up. The biggest news upriver is bank anglers landing bright coho jacks and occasional adult fish near Meldrum Bar and the mouth of the Sandy, with the Sandy River Delta Loop also a solid call this time of year if you want to work some shoreline. The bite's been best at first light and right as the tides swing, especially as river temps drop and rainfall starts pushing fish out of deeper holding water.
Down at the mouth, commercial reports earlier in the week noted plenty of shakers but also keepers in the 7-10 lb coho class, plus a few early steelhead showing on plugs and spinners. Walleye chasers are still picking up eaters near the I-5 Bridge, mostly at dawn, and the bass crowd is mostly working the sloughs and soft backwater pockets.
Best lures for coho right now: 3.5 spinners in chartreuse and pink, or Brad’s Wigglers in copper/orange. If you’re running bait, cured eggs and sand shrimp are drawing strikes, especially when fished slow under a bobber near structure. For trollers, the classic triangle flasher with a short leader to a hoochie in UV or pink is still a local favorite.
A couple of hot spots:
- Try **Sauvie Island’s Oak Island access** for coho and the off chance at a late Chinook.
- **The mouth of the Sandy River and Gilbert River flats** remain solid bets for action and don’t sleep on the backchannels near Frenchman’s Bar for some late-season smallmouth bites.
Just a heads up—keep an eye on water clarity with today’s rain, the Columbia can go from green to brown quick after a downpour, so match natural presentations when you see color change.
That’s your boots-on-the-bank report. Thanks for tuning in to me, Artificial Lure—don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a cast-by-cast 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
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.