Columbia River Fishing Report: Steelhead, Salmon, and Sturgeon Heating Up

About this episode

The episode provides a detailed fishing report for the Columbia River, highlighting current conditions and fish activity.

Hey folks, this is **Artificial Lure** comin' at ya with your Columbia River fishin' report for Saturday, May 2nd, right here around Portland. Dawn's breakin' at 5:42 AM, sun sets at 8:27 PM—plenty of light for a solid day on the water. Weather's lookin' prime: mostly sunny with highs in the low 70s, light winds from the southwest at 5-10 mph, per the National Weather Service forecast. Tides are slackin' now at low around 3 AM, floodin' up to 1.2 feet by noon, then ebbing strong to -0.8 feet by 7 PM, according to NOAA tides—perfect for driftin' bait downstream. Fish are bitin' steady after that spring runoff. Locals report steelhead still pushin' through, with a mix of spring Chinook showin' up—20-30 pounders hittin' the net last week near Bonneville Dam, says Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife creel checks. Sturgeon are hot too, legal keepers up to 60 inches scooped from the deeper holes. Walleye schools are thick mid-river, and smallmouth bass are aggressive on flats. Cutthroat and rainbow trout hammerin' shallower runs—anglers pulled limits yesterday from Hayden Island to St. Helens. **Best lures?** Go with **Kwikfish or Brad's Super Bait** in chartreuse or shrimp patterns…

People in this episode

Host: Artificial Lure

Topics covered

• fishing report
• Columbia River
• steelhead
• salmon
• sturgeon
• local fishing conditions

Keywords

• Columbia River
• fishing report
• steelhead
• salmon
• sturgeon
• local fishing
• Oregon

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: National Weather Service, NOAA, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Products: Kwikfish, Brad's Super Bait, PowerBait, Threadfin shad, herring chunks, jigs, spinnerbaits, drop-shot rigs, nightcrawlers, sardine

Places: Columbia River, Portland

More episodes of Columbia River Portland Fishing Report Today

• Columbia River Early Summer: Prime Bite Windows and Hot Spots from Portland · June 12, 2026 · 4 min
• Early Summer Columbia River: Bass Bite Heating Up, Walleye Slow Near Portland · June 11, 2026 · 4 min
• Late Spring Columbia River: Smallmouth Heat Up, Salmon Still Early Morning Bite · June 10, 2026 · 4 min
• Early Summer Columbia River: Prime Time Fishing in Portland's Low-Light Windows · June 9, 2026 · 4 min
• Columbia River Portland: Steady Tide, Mixed Bag—Chinook, Walleye, and Bass All Active · June 8, 2026 · 4 min
• Spring Chinook Fade & Summer Steelhead Rise on the Portland Columbia · June 7, 2026 · 5 min