Columbia River cheat sheet
Every fish, the licence and the rules, the rigs and the box of tackle. One page to take to the water.
Columbia River
Buoy 10 salmon roughly August into September (set annually by run forecast, can open and close in-season). Catch-and-release sturgeon much of the year. Steelhead overlap the salmon runs.
Licence
An Oregon or Washington angling licence, the Combined Angling Tag, and the Columbia River Basin Endorsement (required for every angler fishing salmon, steelhead or sturgeon on the mainstem from Buoy 10 up). 2026 Oregon non-resident: annual licence $138, Combined Angling Tag $89, endorsement $9.75 with the licence. Buy at myodfw.com; confirm before you go.
The rules
Salmon often 1 to 2 a day and frequently hatchery, fin-clipped only (wild fish released). Wild steelhead released. White sturgeon catch-and-release only, Buoy 10 to McNary Dam. Barbless hooks required. Seasons set annually and can open and close in-season.
Release / handle with care
White sturgeon and wild salmon and steelhead go back; keep sturgeon in the water and use barbless hooks. Check the day's mark-selective rule before you keep a salmon. Clean your kit between waters.
Bank vs boat · season · time → rig
| Fish | From the bank | From a boat | Best time | Rig |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinook salmon | Not at Buoy 10 (upriver only) | Yes, the proper method | Buoy 10 season (Aug into Sep), worked on the tide | Bait/herring troll behind a flasher; trolling rig for spinners and plugs |
| Coho salmon | Not at Buoy 10 (upriver only) | Yes | Building late Aug into Sep, a faster troll | Trolling rig (spinners, plugs, near-surface) |
| White sturgeon (release) | Limited from shore upriver | Yes, anchored in the channels | Much of the year, catch-and-release | Sturgeon rig (barbless, bottom) |
| Steelhead | Yes, upriver from bank and jetty | Yes, as a bonus on the salmon troll | Overlaps the salmon runs | Trolling rig (same spinners and plugs) |
Buoy 10 is a boat fishery on the tide. Salmon are the August/September trip; catch-and-release sturgeon carry the rest of the year. Shore access is upriver for steelhead and salmon, not the estuary.
The rigs
Trolling outfit → flasher → spreader and weight → whole or cut herring/anchovy (bait), or spinners and diving plugs (lure), worked on the tide
Palomar · improved clinchHeavy braid → sliding sinker on the main line → swivel → strong leader → single barbless hook, baited and anchored on the bottom
Palomar · snellWhat you need
On a charter the boat supplies the tackle, so bring almost nothing. On your own boat, build a salmon trolling outfit and a heavy sturgeon outfit.
The knots
| Knot | Ties | Used by |
|---|---|---|
| Palomar | The workhorse, for swivels and braid. | Both rigs |
| Snell knot | The bait hook on the sturgeon leader. | The sturgeon rig |
| Improved clinch | A lure to a mono or fluorocarbon leader. | The troll |
Learn the Palomar first. Wet every knot before you pull it tight. Each rig page links the knots it uses.
This one page is the printable I take to the water.
Give me an email and I will show it to you, ready to print. A one-page reference: what's on by month, the licence and rules, a rig for every fish, the shared tackle box and the knots.
I'll send you the cheat sheet, and email you when I add a new place to fish. Nothing else.