Columbia River fishing guide

Public access & launches

Extensive public bank access along the Columbia River, computed from public land ownership and hydrography.

• Navigation Lock Visitor Area
  Boat launch
• Beacon Rock Boat Ramp
  Boat launch
• Willow Grove Boat Launch
  Boat launch
• Parker's Landing Boat Ramp
  Boat launch
• Rooster Rock Boat Launch
  Boat launch
• Salmon River West Trailhead
  Boat launch
• Puget IslandWDFW
  Fishing access
• Jones BeachClatsop County
  Boat access
• Dibblee Point Beach LandingColumbia County
  Boat access
• Riverfront Park LaunchCity of Rainier
  Boat access
• Dalton PointOregon Parks and Recreation Department
  Boat access
• Rooster Rock State Park Boat RampOregon Parks and Recreation Department
  Boat access

Regulations

• Columbia River Zone

  Buoy 10 line up to a line projected from Rocky Point on the Washington bank through Red Buoy 44 to the navigation light at Tongue Point on the Oregon bank Open for hatchery steelhead Jan 1 - Mar 31 and Nov 1 - Dec 31. Open for hatchery Chinook salmon Jan 1 - Mar 31. Adult coho are longer than 20 inches. Additional salmon and steelhead seasons are determined on an annual basis. Visit myodfw.com for current regulations. The Columbia River South Jetty is open to salmon angling seven days a week when the fall Buoy 10 or adjacent ocean salmon fishery is open. Closed to angling within the Youngs Bay Control Zone Aug 1 - Sep 15. See map . In the waters of the Pacific Ocean and the Columbia River up to a line projected from Rocky Point on the Washington bank through Red Buoy 44 to the navigation light at Tongue Point on the Oregon bank, each angler aboard a vessel may continue to use angling gear until the daily limit of fish for all legally licensed and juvenile anglers aboard has been achieved. However, no individual angler may exceed any personal daily bag limit. A line projected from Rocky Point on the Washington bank through Red Buoy 44 to the navigation light at Tongue Point on the Oregon bank up to I-5 bridge Open for hatchery cutthroat trout Jan 1 - Mar 31 and May 22 - Dec 31. Open for hatchery Chinook salmon and hatchery steelhead Jan 1 - Mar 31. Open for hatchery jack Chinook and hatchery steelhead May 16 - Jul 31. Open for hatchery steelhead Nov 1 - Dec 31. Additional salmon and steelhead seasons are determined on an annual basis. Visit myodfw.com for current regulations. Angling from the Big Creek RR trestle is prohibited Aug. 16 - Oct. 15. I-5 bridge to Bonneville Dam Open for hatchery steelhead Jan 1 - Mar 31, Jun 16 - July 31, and Nov 1 - Dec 31. Open for hatchery jack Chinook Jun 16 - Jul 31. Additional salmon and steelhead seasons are determined on an annual basis. Visit myodfw.com for current regulations. Closed : Between markers 150 ft above and 450 ft be

• Coho (wild)

  Season

  August 1 – September 11 and October 16 – December 31

  Bag

  0

  Wild coho caught downstream of the Hood River Bridge during these dates must be released.

• Salmon

  Season

  August 1 – September 15

  Bag

  two salmon (only one may be a Chinook)

  Retention of Chinook and coho allowed.

• Salmon

  Season

  October 1–31

  Bag

  two coho

  Retention of coho allowed; all Chinook must be released.

• Salmon/Steelhead

  Season

  November 1 – December 31

  Bag

  two salmon/steelhead

  Retention of coho and hatchery steelhead allowed; all Chinook must be released. (coho and steelhead only)

• Salmon/Steelhead

  Season

  September 16–30

  Bag

  0

  Salmon/steelhead angling prohibited.

• Steelhead

  Season

  August 1 – October 31

  Bag

  0

  All steelhead must be released.

• Chinook and hatchery cohoColumbia Zone

  Season

  August 1–9

  Bag

  2 salmon (adult), but only one may be a Chinook

  Retention of Chinook and hatchery coho allowed.

• Coho salmonColumbia Zone

  Season

  August 1 – September 30 (between Buoy 10 and Tongue Point/Rocky Point line)

  Size

  16-inches minimum (adult coho)

  Between Buoy 10 and the Tongue Point/Rocky Point line, from August 1 – September 30, the adult coho minimum size is 16-inches. Wild coho must be released.

• Hatchery Chinook and hatchery cohoColumbia Zone

  Season

  August 10 – September 2

  Bag

  2 hatchery salmon (Chinook or coho), but only one may be a Chinook

  Retention of hatchery Chinook and hatchery coho allowed.

As of 2026-09-01.Guidance, not legal advice — always confirm current rules with the state.Official Oregon regulations

What’s in it

Recorded in/near this water. Occurrence-based unless a higher-confidence source is shown — see it per-species in the app.

More Oregon fishing

Oregon field notes

Portland, OR

Forest Park Is 5,200 Acres and the Gorge Is 40 Minutes. Here's How to Use Both.

One of the largest urban forest reserves in the United States sits inside the city limits, with a 30-mile trail running its length. Forty minutes east, a river gorge cuts through the Cascades with more waterfalls per mile than anywhere else in the country. Most people use one and ignore the other.

Portland, OR

Urban Fishing in Portland: Salmon in the Willamette, Smallmouth Under the Bridges, and Sturgeon Past the Skyline

Portland is one of the only major cities in America where you can catch salmon and steelhead inside city limits. The Willamette River runs through downtown holding spring Chinook, smallmouth bass, sturgeon, and walleye. The Columbia River forms the northern border. No boat needed for most of it.

Portland, OR

Birding Portland: The Island Where Half the Units Close in October

Portland has a 5,200-acre forest inside the city, one of the largest protected wetlands in any American city, and an agricultural island twenty minutes north where several of the best units close on October 1 and do not reopen until spring. Knowing which is which is the whole trick.

Bridal Veil, OR

The Multnomah-Wahkeena Loop After the Fire: What Grew Back and What Didn't

Five miles, six waterfalls, and 1,600 feet of climbing on the most famous stretch of the Columbia River Gorge, through forest that burned in 2017 and is still visibly recovering. It is the best short hike in Oregon and it now requires a timed permit in season, which almost nobody realizes until they arrive.

Government Camp, OR

The Timberline Trail: 41 Miles Around Mount Hood, and the River Crossing That Stops People

A loop entirely around an 11,000-foot volcano, 41.5 miles with 10,000 feet of climbing, and a free permit you pick up at the trailhead. The permit is the easy part. The hard part is a glacial river with no bridge that has turned back more parties than the elevation ever has.

Bend, OR

South Sister Without a Rope: Oregon's Easiest Big Summit Is Still a Long Day

A 10,363-foot volcano you can walk up, 26 miles from Bend, with a trail the whole way and no technical climbing. That accessibility is exactly why it catches people out: 12.6 miles and nearly 5,000 feet of gain on volcanic cinder is a mountaineering day wearing hiking clothes.

Columbia River fishing — FAQ