Columbia River Fishing Report: Late Spring Chinook, Shad, and Sturgeon Action Podcast Por arte de portada

Columbia River Fishing Report: Late Spring Chinook, Shad, and Sturgeon Action

Columbia River Fishing Report: Late Spring Chinook, Shad, and Sturgeon Action

Escúchala gratis

Ver detalles del espectáculo

Acerca de esta escucha

 This is Artificial Lure with your Columbia River fishing report for May 23, 2025, focusing on the Portland area and surrounding waters.

We had first light this morning at 5:39 and sunset will be around 8:29, so you have a long stretch of time to get lines in the water and enjoy some late spring angling. The weather’s cool and mostly cloudy, with a good chance of rain later today. This should bump the river flow a little and help bring in some fresh fish. The Columbia is running at typical spring levels, still a little high, but water clarity has been improving steadily over the past week[5].

Spring Chinook is the headline story right now. The state just announced additional open days for Chinook retention above Bonneville Dam, including today, so anglers upriver have more opportunity to target these prized salmon[1][3]. Catches are picking up but still a bit scattered, with most fish coming from the Bonneville stretch up to Tower Island. Downstream, including around Portland International Airport, folks are starting to get into some springers, but overall action is still on the slow side as the run builds[2][5].

Best methods for Chinook this week: trolling cut plug herring or anchovy behind a big Pro-Troll flasher, or running a 360 flasher with a spinner or Super Bait. Bank anglers are finding some limited luck running bobber and eggs, especially up near Bonneville at the bank access points. Chartreuse and gold have been hot colors, especially when the river has some color from rain or runoff[5].

Shad are starting to show up in numbers in the lower river, with early waves moving in near Willamette and up toward Bonneville. Standard shad darts in pink, green, or chartreuse are the go-to. This fishery should be heating up any day now and will provide steady action for the next several weeks[1].

Sturgeon catches have been slower for keepers, but some folks are still hooking into decent numbers of sublegal fish below Bonneville and in the Portland harbor on smelt and squid baits. Remember, sturgeon retention is closed in this stretch, so handle fish with care and release quickly[5].

For bait, herring and anchovy are top choices for Chinook, while shad anglers are sticking with small flashy darts. Sturgeon are hitting on smelt, squid, and anchovies fished off the bottom[5].

A couple of hot spots for today:
- Near the mouth of the Willamette for early shad and the chance at a Chinook passing through.
- Upriver from Bonneville Dam through Tower Island, where the bulk of the springer action is being reported.

That’s the latest from the Columbia. Watch for changing conditions with the rain today and be safe on the water. Good luck out there.
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_T1_webcro805_stickypopup
Todavía no hay opiniones