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Late Fall Coho and Chinook on the Lower Columbia - Oct 28, 2025 Fishing Report
Published 6 months ago
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Artificial Lure here, bringing you the latest Columbia River fishing report for the Portland area, Tuesday, October 28, 2025.
First, let's talk **tides and sunrise**. It's a mild tidal swing today. According to NOAA predictions at nearby Vancouver, WA, the low tide rolled in at 4:47 a.m., and the high tide is coming in around 8:32 a.m. You'll see another low at 4:30 p.m. and high again at 7:43 p.m. Those early highs line up real nice with daybreak: sunrise hit at 7:38 a.m., and we'll see sunset at 6:04 p.m. With the waxing crescent moon, daylight hours are prime and water movement's steady, offering solid opportunity for bank and boat anglers alike.
On the **weather front**, you can expect classic late-October Portland conditions—overcast, a touch of drizzle early, highs in the upper 50s, and light winds that shouldn't complicate casting. Gordon's Weekly Weather Update says things look to improve a bit, but maybe keep an eye on the skies if you're planning to stick it out until dark.
**Fish activity** is hot for late fall. NorthWest Sportsman Magazine reports late October coho and fall Chinook are still running strong in the lower Columbia. There's been a decent push, with anglers boating both hatchery and wild coho. Steelhead action slowed but has not disappeared; persistent casters are still picking up a few, mostly early and late in the day. Sturgeon pressure has eased, but a few folks working the deeper holes have managed catch-and-release battles with sub-legals.
Recent catches include:
- **Coho salmon**: Most common, running 6–10 pounds, with some reports of bigger 12-pounders still milling about.
- **Chinook salmon**: Fewer in number, but fish are heavy—several 20+ pounders pulled last week near the mouth of the Willamette.
- **Steelhead**: Sporadic but present, mostly summer-runs straggling through.
- **Walleye and smallmouth bass**: Steady bite in the sloughs and around rocky points, especially mid-river structure.
When it comes to **bait and lures**, the classics are still top of the list:
- For **coho**, twitching 3/8 to 1/2 ounce pink and purple jigs around current seams and along piles is working great. Trollers are seeing success running Brad’s Cut Plugs or Mag Lips stuffed with herring, about 40–50 feet back with a moderate dropper.
- For **Chinook**, it's hard to beat wrapped spinners (chartreuse or flame orange) and fresh cut plug herring behind flashers. Anchor fishers should run big spinners or K-15 Kwikfish hammered with sardine wrap.
- Bank anglers are scoring coho tossing Blue Fox Vibrax spinners, size 4 or 5, in copper or blue.
- **Walleye** can't resist a half-ounce jig tip with nightcrawler around rocky breaks.
- **Steelhead**: Drift fishing beads, or running small spoons and spinners in copper/red combos.
**Hot spots** to check out:
- **Riverplace Marina** is giving up coho and the odd Chinook to both bankies and boaters, especially around slack tide transitions.
- **McCuddy’s Hayden Island Marina and Tomahawk Bay Moorage**: solid action for coho and a mixed bag of bass and walleye.
- For a quieter shoreline, check out **Waverly Marina**, where late morning tide changes bring fish tight to the docks.
Remember to check current ODFW regs, as some areas may have selective gear or retention rules, especially for wild salmon and steelhead. Always practice good catch and release for nontarget species and mind your barbless hooks where required.
That's your Columbia River report for October 28, 2025. Thanks for tuning in, anglers—be sure to hit that subscribe button for all the latest from Artificial Lure. 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
First, let's talk **tides and sunrise**. It's a mild tidal swing today. According to NOAA predictions at nearby Vancouver, WA, the low tide rolled in at 4:47 a.m., and the high tide is coming in around 8:32 a.m. You'll see another low at 4:30 p.m. and high again at 7:43 p.m. Those early highs line up real nice with daybreak: sunrise hit at 7:38 a.m., and we'll see sunset at 6:04 p.m. With the waxing crescent moon, daylight hours are prime and water movement's steady, offering solid opportunity for bank and boat anglers alike.
On the **weather front**, you can expect classic late-October Portland conditions—overcast, a touch of drizzle early, highs in the upper 50s, and light winds that shouldn't complicate casting. Gordon's Weekly Weather Update says things look to improve a bit, but maybe keep an eye on the skies if you're planning to stick it out until dark.
**Fish activity** is hot for late fall. NorthWest Sportsman Magazine reports late October coho and fall Chinook are still running strong in the lower Columbia. There's been a decent push, with anglers boating both hatchery and wild coho. Steelhead action slowed but has not disappeared; persistent casters are still picking up a few, mostly early and late in the day. Sturgeon pressure has eased, but a few folks working the deeper holes have managed catch-and-release battles with sub-legals.
Recent catches include:
- **Coho salmon**: Most common, running 6–10 pounds, with some reports of bigger 12-pounders still milling about.
- **Chinook salmon**: Fewer in number, but fish are heavy—several 20+ pounders pulled last week near the mouth of the Willamette.
- **Steelhead**: Sporadic but present, mostly summer-runs straggling through.
- **Walleye and smallmouth bass**: Steady bite in the sloughs and around rocky points, especially mid-river structure.
When it comes to **bait and lures**, the classics are still top of the list:
- For **coho**, twitching 3/8 to 1/2 ounce pink and purple jigs around current seams and along piles is working great. Trollers are seeing success running Brad’s Cut Plugs or Mag Lips stuffed with herring, about 40–50 feet back with a moderate dropper.
- For **Chinook**, it's hard to beat wrapped spinners (chartreuse or flame orange) and fresh cut plug herring behind flashers. Anchor fishers should run big spinners or K-15 Kwikfish hammered with sardine wrap.
- Bank anglers are scoring coho tossing Blue Fox Vibrax spinners, size 4 or 5, in copper or blue.
- **Walleye** can't resist a half-ounce jig tip with nightcrawler around rocky breaks.
- **Steelhead**: Drift fishing beads, or running small spoons and spinners in copper/red combos.
**Hot spots** to check out:
- **Riverplace Marina** is giving up coho and the odd Chinook to both bankies and boaters, especially around slack tide transitions.
- **McCuddy’s Hayden Island Marina and Tomahawk Bay Moorage**: solid action for coho and a mixed bag of bass and walleye.
- For a quieter shoreline, check out **Waverly Marina**, where late morning tide changes bring fish tight to the docks.
Remember to check current ODFW regs, as some areas may have selective gear or retention rules, especially for wild salmon and steelhead. Always practice good catch and release for nontarget species and mind your barbless hooks where required.
That's your Columbia River report for October 28, 2025. Thanks for tuning in, anglers—be sure to hit that subscribe button for all the latest from Artificial Lure. 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