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Late February Columbia River Steelhead: Tides, Tackle, and Tight Lines
Published 2 months ago
Description
Hey folks, this is Artificial Lure, your go-to guy for all things rod and reel on the mighty Columbia River around Portland. It's a crisp late February morning here, with sunrise at about 6:52 AM and sunset around 5:55 PM, giving us a solid 11 hours of daylight to chase some bites.
Tides today at Portland on the Willamette show high at 3:31 AM hitting 6'6", dropping to low 3'10" at 11:02 AM, then peaking again at 8'6" by 2:28 PM—perfect for targeting those outgoing swings. Weather's cooperating with partly cloudy skies, temps in the low 40s, light winds from the west—bundle up but get out there.
Fishing's been slow but steady lately, per the ODFW Columbia Zone report from February 19. Bank anglers snagged a handful of winter steelhead off the beaches from lower Lemon Island to Willow Grove—no big numbers, but those bright fish are showing. Zero boat action there, and checks from Portland Airport to Warrior Rock and Prescott to Wallace Island came up empty for 38 anglers total. Upstream in Bonneville Pool, sturgeon retention kicked off February 16 and fishing was excellent right after—keep eyes on regs for more. The Guides Forecast notes the river's blown out downstream of the Willamette from recent rains, but a few spring Chinook are showing upstream.
Steelhead are the main play now—go for **pink worms** or **cured eggs** under a float on the beaches, or drift **Joe Flies** and **Spin-n-Glo's** in peach or chartreuse. For sturgeon, **cut bait** like smelt or herring on the bottom shines. Watch those fish consumption advisories from Oregon Health Authority for mercury and PCBs.
Hit these hot spots: beaches near Willow Grove for steelhead plunking, or Bonneville Pool if you're chasing keepers. Water's still high and off-color, so fish the slower edges.
Thanks for tuning in, folks—subscribe for more local tips! This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
Tides today at Portland on the Willamette show high at 3:31 AM hitting 6'6", dropping to low 3'10" at 11:02 AM, then peaking again at 8'6" by 2:28 PM—perfect for targeting those outgoing swings. Weather's cooperating with partly cloudy skies, temps in the low 40s, light winds from the west—bundle up but get out there.
Fishing's been slow but steady lately, per the ODFW Columbia Zone report from February 19. Bank anglers snagged a handful of winter steelhead off the beaches from lower Lemon Island to Willow Grove—no big numbers, but those bright fish are showing. Zero boat action there, and checks from Portland Airport to Warrior Rock and Prescott to Wallace Island came up empty for 38 anglers total. Upstream in Bonneville Pool, sturgeon retention kicked off February 16 and fishing was excellent right after—keep eyes on regs for more. The Guides Forecast notes the river's blown out downstream of the Willamette from recent rains, but a few spring Chinook are showing upstream.
Steelhead are the main play now—go for **pink worms** or **cured eggs** under a float on the beaches, or drift **Joe Flies** and **Spin-n-Glo's** in peach or chartreuse. For sturgeon, **cut bait** like smelt or herring on the bottom shines. Watch those fish consumption advisories from Oregon Health Authority for mercury and PCBs.
Hit these hot spots: beaches near Willow Grove for steelhead plunking, or Bonneville Pool if you're chasing keepers. Water's still high and off-color, so fish the slower edges.
Thanks for tuning in, folks—subscribe for more local tips! This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI