Portland/Metro Fishing Report – With the Columbia re-opening tomorrow (Friday, May 9th) anglers are anxious to get on the water when peak migration is happening. Although history shows that the bite tapers following the peak passage day, just knowing that there’s several thousand upper Columbia bound spring Chinook swimming past you is inspiration enough.
The fishing isn’t likely to be lights out, but the mainstem, still within a good temperature range, should provide some of the best opportunity for anglers in the metro area. Test net catches downstream of Longview show that the bulk of the run is upstream now, but yet to pass over Bonneville Dam. Be cautious of the deadline near Bonneville Dam, boundaries are outlined in THIS PRESS RELEASE.
The Willamette is already in its summer doldrums, with the best catches (if you can call it that) still happening near the deadline at the mouth of the Multnomah Channel near St. Helens. There’s a decent first light bite and close to high tide as well. With the Columbia opener, St. Helens anglers have a nice set of options now…