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Columbia River Fishing Report: Walleye, Smallmouth, and Sturgeon Bite on the Rise in Wet, Windy Conditions
Published 4 months, 3 weeks ago
Description
Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Columbia River fishing report around Portland.
We’re riding a small tide today on the upper river. Tide-Forecast for Portland shows a predawn high about 2 a.m. and a weak low early afternoon, so current swings will be subtle but you’ll still see that midday lull and an evening pick‑up in flow. Sunrise is right around 7:07, sunset about 5:34, giving you a nice long gray window on both ends.
National Weather Service and local emergency management are calling for a wet pattern tied to an atmospheric river, with a Flood Watch posted for the Lower Columbia and Portland metro. Expect steady rain, rising rivers, and some color in the water. Wind will be the wild card; if it stacks against the current, plan on some ugly chop in the open reaches.
All that fresh flow has the resident fish on edge but not off the bite. Steelhead numbers are just starting to trickle in on the lower Columbia tribs, but up around Portland it’s mostly a game of winter smallmouth, walleye, and the odd cutthroat or oversize sturgeon. Local shop chatter this week has been steady on the walleye bite below the I‑205 bridge and down toward Government Island: smaller fish in numbers with a few quality eyes in the 5–8 pound range. Bass guys working slower seams along the Washington side have reported fair action on 1–2 pound smallies whenever the river isn’t blowing out with debris.
For tactics, think cold water and off‑color conditions. Walleye are coming on **3–4 inch paddle‑tail swimbaits** in chartreuse, pearl, or firetiger on 3/8–1/2 oz jig heads, fished just off bottom on the first break. Slow the retrieve until it feels almost too slow. Classic Columbia rigs with **nightcrawlers on spinner harnesses** behind 1–2 oz bottom bouncers are still putting fish in the boat when pulled 0.8–1.2 mph along channel edges.
Smallmouth are keyed to soft plastics with a bit of thump. Go with **green pumpkin tubes, Ned rigs, or 3 inch grubs** on 1/8–1/4 oz heads, dragged and shaken, not hopped. On the brighter afternoons, a **silver blade bait or small gold spoon** yo‑yoed on current breaks can wake up a better fish.
Sturgeon folks soaking bait near the deep slots are finding a few keepers and plenty of shakers. Best bets are **fresh smelt, sand shrimp, or squid strips** on heavy slider rigs. With rising water, avoid the heavy main flow; look for inside corners and soft water just out of the main chute.
A couple of local hot spots to consider:
- **Government Island / Caterpillar Island stretch** – good structure for walleye and smallmouth; work the 20–35 foot breaks and current seams off the island points.
- **Kelly Point down to Sauvie’s east end** – deeper bends and soft edges hold sturgeon and winter walleye; hug the ledges and watch for debris with the higher flows.
Given the flood watch and fast-changing conditions, keep an eye on river levels and floating wood, wear the dry gear, and don’t push it in a small boat.
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
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.
We’re riding a small tide today on the upper river. Tide-Forecast for Portland shows a predawn high about 2 a.m. and a weak low early afternoon, so current swings will be subtle but you’ll still see that midday lull and an evening pick‑up in flow. Sunrise is right around 7:07, sunset about 5:34, giving you a nice long gray window on both ends.
National Weather Service and local emergency management are calling for a wet pattern tied to an atmospheric river, with a Flood Watch posted for the Lower Columbia and Portland metro. Expect steady rain, rising rivers, and some color in the water. Wind will be the wild card; if it stacks against the current, plan on some ugly chop in the open reaches.
All that fresh flow has the resident fish on edge but not off the bite. Steelhead numbers are just starting to trickle in on the lower Columbia tribs, but up around Portland it’s mostly a game of winter smallmouth, walleye, and the odd cutthroat or oversize sturgeon. Local shop chatter this week has been steady on the walleye bite below the I‑205 bridge and down toward Government Island: smaller fish in numbers with a few quality eyes in the 5–8 pound range. Bass guys working slower seams along the Washington side have reported fair action on 1–2 pound smallies whenever the river isn’t blowing out with debris.
For tactics, think cold water and off‑color conditions. Walleye are coming on **3–4 inch paddle‑tail swimbaits** in chartreuse, pearl, or firetiger on 3/8–1/2 oz jig heads, fished just off bottom on the first break. Slow the retrieve until it feels almost too slow. Classic Columbia rigs with **nightcrawlers on spinner harnesses** behind 1–2 oz bottom bouncers are still putting fish in the boat when pulled 0.8–1.2 mph along channel edges.
Smallmouth are keyed to soft plastics with a bit of thump. Go with **green pumpkin tubes, Ned rigs, or 3 inch grubs** on 1/8–1/4 oz heads, dragged and shaken, not hopped. On the brighter afternoons, a **silver blade bait or small gold spoon** yo‑yoed on current breaks can wake up a better fish.
Sturgeon folks soaking bait near the deep slots are finding a few keepers and plenty of shakers. Best bets are **fresh smelt, sand shrimp, or squid strips** on heavy slider rigs. With rising water, avoid the heavy main flow; look for inside corners and soft water just out of the main chute.
A couple of local hot spots to consider:
- **Government Island / Caterpillar Island stretch** – good structure for walleye and smallmouth; work the 20–35 foot breaks and current seams off the island points.
- **Kelly Point down to Sauvie’s east end** – deeper bends and soft edges hold sturgeon and winter walleye; hug the ledges and watch for debris with the higher flows.
Given the flood watch and fast-changing conditions, keep an eye on river levels and floating wood, wear the dry gear, and don’t push it in a small boat.
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
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.