This is Artificial Lure with your September 17th, 2025 Columbia River, Portland fishing report.
We’re rolling into classic late summer weather across the Portland stretch of the Columbia. Skies this morning are sitting mostly clear with mild temps in the upper 50s, expected to climb to the mid-70s by noon, and winds staying light and variable through the afternoon. It’s a picture-perfect day, especially with sunrise clocking in at 6:52 am and sunset at 7:15 pm according to tides4fishing and US Harbors.
Today’s tide profile is moderate, with an early morning low at 11:24 am (-0.2 feet) building up to a high tide around 4:23 pm (1.9 feet). The tidal coefficient is 59, right on average, so currents and movement aren’t extreme but just enough to stir up some fish activity during the swings. These transitions—late-morning ebb to afternoon flood—usually mark the best window for action, especially for migratory salmon and walleye.
Fishing’s been firing in the Portland-to-St. Helens reach. Anglers over the last couple days report coho are pushing through in bigger pods each morning below Multnomah Channel, and the first few fall Chinook are still trickling up, most holding deeper along faster runs and ledge drop-offs. Bank anglers and boaters alike have been turning mixed bags, with steelhead making a surprise reappearance along the shorelines southeast of Hayden Island. Some sturgeon are still active, though keeper slots are rare, so best practice is quick catch and release.
For lures, folks are scoring best with spinners—Blue Fox Vibrax and Mepps in chartreuse, pink, or copper have been the go-to for coho and steelhead. Many boaters are also flatlining Brad’s Cut Plugs stuffed with tuna or herring chunks for Chinook, especially from the mouth of Willamette up to Sauvie Island. Wobbling spoons like the Toman’s Spinner and Mag Lips plugs in firetiger or metallic silver are working great during the lower light. If you’re tossing bait, fresh sand shrimp, cured eggs, or nightcrawlers fished under a bobber at slack tide have all turned bites.
Smallmouth bass action’s steady just east of I-205 bridge; try Senkos or tube jigs pitched toward submerged riprap as the sun gets higher. Walleye are still chewing through the channel edges near Kelly Point, with chartreuse jigheads tipped with nightcrawler trailing behind bottom walkers pulling in some good eaters.
A couple hot spots to lock in:
- The Columbia slough mouth at Kelley Point Park is producing solid mixed bags from dawn to noon and is easy access for both boaters and bank anglers.
- The channel north of Hayden Island, especially near the railroad bridge pilings, is stacking up with both migrating salmon and resident bass—expect congestion around prime bites, but the rewards are there.
With tidal movement picking up mid-afternoon, stick out the falling tide to catch those active feeders, then swap up tactics around the late-day high tide for the evening bite. Keep an eye on bar traffic if you’re running out of the mainstem and give commercial traffic a wide berth.
Thanks for tuning in to today’s Columbia River angling report! Tight lines out there, and don’t forget to subscribe for the latest updates and on-the-water tips from your local scene.
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