Spring Chinook Salmon Fishing in Portland, FOR: The Thrill of a Lifetime!
The first run of salmon in Oregon is the Spring Chinook migration that begins in March. Once they grow large enough to make the trip, they begin their journey from the pacific ocean and start the journey up the Columbia, Clackamas, and Willamette Rivers to their freshwater beginnings to lay their eggs. In Oregon, wild-caught salmon is sustainably managed and harvested under U.S regulations.
Although the run starts in March, the peak fishing season for Spring Chinook on the Columbia, Willamette and Clackamas Rivers near Portland is April and May. Once the season for Chinook fishing begins in the first week of April, the temperature of the water determines the length of the fishing season; in warm years, the Spring Chinook run can extend into the month of June.
Large Chinook can weigh more than 30 pounds, though 10-20 pounders are more common. “Chinook are highly sought after in Oregon for their size and for the tremendous fight they put up with anglers,” explains Buddy Dupell, owner and guide of Columbia River Fishing Adventures, based in Portland. “Spring Chinook fishing is an exciting and memorable experience that is not easily matched anywhere else in the world.”
Guided fishing tours from Portland offer anglers access to the most desirable Spring salmon fishing locations on the Columbia River. The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia, and when the two rivers meet in the Portland area, the two largest Spring Chinook runs also merge.
From April through May, these spectacular, hard-to-catch Spring Chinook flood into the mighty Columbia River, almost “daring” anglers to try to catching them. “Every spring, Oregon fishing guides look forward to getting back on the Columbia to fish for Chinook,” Buddy says, “And once our clients experience the thrill of fishing for “Springers” they can’t wait to come back and do it again next year.”
If you have questions about Spring Salmon fishing on the Columbia River, or want to book a Portland fishing trip, we welcome your call at (503) 490-3099, or email Buddy Dupell at [email protected]. Columbia River Fishing Adventures offers world-class guided fishing trips year-round for salmon, sturgeon, steelhead and Walleye.