Episode Details

Hey everyone, Artificial Lure here with your Columbia River fishing report for Saturday, November 15, 2025, coming to you straight from the banks and backwaters around Portland, Oregon.

We’re rolling into mid-November and fall feels settled in. This morning started chilly—temps in the low 40s, creeping toward the low 50s by midday. There’s a steady overcast, but wind’s holding light at about 5 to 10 miles per hour. Sunrise was right about 7:10 a.m., so if you’re listening early, there’s still plenty of daylight ahead. Sunset will sneak in at 4:39 p.m. today—short fishing windows, so plan those casts carefully.

Turning our attention to the tides, the Columbia around Vancouver runs a high tide at 2:25 a.m. and then drops to a low at 9:35 a.m., according to Tide-Forecast. That means your early shot—say from first light through mid-morning—is at falling water. If you like fishing outflows and textbook current seams, that’s prime. Incoming tide picks up again after lunch; expect flows to ease by late afternoon.

Last week’s rains have brought in some color, but flows are holding manageable—just a touch higher than summer glass, which actually helps push fish close to shore. The Guides’ Forecast notes coho are moving into tributaries with the rain but action’s slowed in the mainstem. Most local steelhead are still weeks out, but there’s always the chance for an early winter-run stray.

Catch reports this week are classic late-fall Columbia—mixed bags in both the main river and sloughs:
- **Walleye** have been biting in the Multnomah Channel and down around Kalama. Jigging blade baits or pulling worm harnesses near the bottom in deeper slots is taking some eater-sized fish. Try Fire Tiger or perch pattern blades for stained water.
- **Sturgeon** is strictly catch-and-release for now; retention is closed and Bonneville/Dalles pools won’t open early this year, according to the East Oregonian.
- **Coho salmon** action is slowing in the lower river. Anglers tossing spinners and twitching jigs near the mouths of tributaries like the Sandy have managed a few brighter fish, but numbers are dropping as the run wraps up.
- A handful of **bass** and **pike minnow** are biting mid-day if you’re working the Willamette sloughs, but the bite is slowing as water temps drop.

For bait and lures that are producing:
- For **walleye**, go with a chartreuse or gold jig tipped with a nightcrawler, or try vertical jigging a 3/8 oz blade near drop-offs.
- **Coho** are still taking orange and pink twitching jigs, as well as classic blue-silver #4 spinners early in the day.
- **Sturgeon** will always love fresh-smelt, but some locals swear by anchovies or squid just above the channel ledges, if you’re just looking for a tug.
- For bank anglers, a simple nightcrawler or sand shrimp rig is always a solid bet near rock and gravel transitions, especially on a moving tide.

Hot spots to target right now:
- **Kelley Point Park** is still giving up some late coho and sturgeon action from the bank.
- **Sauvie Island’s Gilbert River mouth** is walleye central this time of year, and the sloughs north of Scappoose can be surprisingly productive, especially on cloudy days like today.

Shellfishing is still solid in the bays and estuaries, especially if you’re chasing crab—just remember, ocean crabbing remains closed ‘til the end of the month. If you’re out clamming, be sure to check Oregon Department of Agriculture’s safety page for any shellfish closures, and keep an eye out for invasive species, like the Chinese mitten crab, recently found east of Tongue Point according to the ODFW.

That wraps up today’s Columbia River report. Thanks for tuning in to your local source, be sure to subscribe for more fishing updates, hot tips, and on-the-water intel. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.