Spring Sturgeon and Steelhead Heat Up the Columbia River This Week

Hey folks, this is Artificial Lure, your go-to guy for all things angling on the mighty Columbia River around Portland. It's Monday morning, March 30, 2026, and we're lookin' at a crisp start to the day with temps hoverin' around 46°F, cloudy skies givin' way to some afternoon sun, light winds out of the northwest—perfect for gettin' on the water without freezin' your tail off. Sunrise hit at 7:05 AM, sunset's 5:33 PM, so you've got a solid 10-hour window to chase 'em.

Tides today per NOAA Tides & Currents for nearby Vancouver station: low at 4:59 AM hittin' 1.75 ft, high creepin' to 5.96 ft around 10:23 AM, then droppin' back to low 1.75 ft by 5:30 PM. Fish love that incoming tide mid-mornin'—currents stir up the baitfish, gettin' predators aggressive.

Action's been hot lately on sturgeon and steelhead makin' their spring runs. Locals report solid catches of **sturgeon** up to 8 feet from the Portland stretch last week, plus keeper **steelhead** in the 10-15 lb range and a mix of **shad** schools pilin' in. Smaller **salmon** jacks showin' early too, per recent angler logs from Wauna and Astoria docks.

For lures, stick with **Mooneye spoons** or **Kwikfish divers** in chartreuse or hot pink—they're tearin' it up on steelhead in the riffles. **Ghost Minnow soft plastics** rigged on a jighead for sturgeon down deep. Live bait? **Lamprey chunks** or **cut herring** on a circle hook can't be beat for the big white sturgeon; **roe bags** for steelhead drifters.

Hit these hot spots: **Cathlamet Channel** for driftin' sturgeon on the tide change, or **Willamette River mouth** near Portland for steelhead rollin' in the foam lines. Launch from Frenchman’s Bar or Burlington Bottoms for easy access.

Bundle up, check your regs, and tight lines out there!

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI