Willamette River Fishing Report | April 2026
The report at a glance
Presentation
The mainstem play is a 360-type flasher with a spinner, sometimes with shrimp behind it. Warmer water favors spinners. In the tributaries in May, switch to eggs, bait-wrapped plugs, and coon shrimp.
Lures and baits
Sand shrimp and eggs behind jumbo jet divers for backtrolling. A 360-style flasher paired with a spinner for the troll. Herring comes into play if the Columbia reopens.
Other techniques
Backtrolling with jumbo jet divers; anchor fishing if the Columbia reopens.
Water level
River dropping, with less current.
Advice for this week
As the water warms and current drops, transition to trolling with spinners. Watch the Columbia dam counts. If numbers are good or April runs light, the Columbia can reopen in May.
What is changing
Water warming and the river dropping means less current, shifting anglers from backtrolling toward trolling.
Next week
Expect spinner trolling to carry the rest of April into May, with the tributary egg and plug bite turning on as those rivers warm. A May Columbia reopening would be excellent.
Spring Chinook are the target on the Willamette River in April 2026. Capt. David Johnson has been running sand shrimp and eggs behind jumbo jet divers and backtrolling. As the water warms and drops, he is switching to trolling a 360-type flasher with a spinner. In May, watch the tributaries with eggs, bait-wrapped plugs, and coon shrimp, and watch for a possible Columbia reopener.
How is the Willamette River spring Chinook fishing?
Capt. David Johnson has been fishing spring Chinook on the Willamette using sand shrimp and eggs, fished behind jumbo jet divers and backtrolled. The water is starting to warm and drop, which means less current, so he is transitioning toward more trolling as April continues.
What presentation works as the Willamette warms up?
Trolling. David says most anglers will switch to a 360-type flasher with a spinner, and possibly a shrimp behind it, as current drops. In warmer water, spinners are what people will be running for the rest of the month and into May.
Where do the fish move in May on the Willamette system?
Into the tributaries. As those rivers warm, fish push up and the fishery shifts back to eggs, bait-wrapped plugs, and coon shrimp. David lists those as the three main baits used in the tributaries once the spring fish start moving in.
Could the Columbia River reopen in May?
Possibly. David says to watch for a Columbia reopener if the dam counts are good or fewer fish were caught in April than expected. If it reopens, it would be prime time, fished as an anchor fishery with plugs or a troll fishery with herring.
Watch the full report
Willamette River April 2026 FAQ
Spring Chinook salmon, per Capt. David Johnson.
Sand shrimp and eggs fished behind jumbo jet divers and backtrolled.
Anglers switch to trolling a 360-type flasher with a spinner as current drops.
Eggs, bait-wrapped plugs, and coon shrimp as fish move up the warming tributaries.
Yes, possibly, if dam counts are strong, fished with plugs on anchor or herring on the troll.
Warming temperatures and dropping water with less current heading into trolling season.
