Spring Chinook & Sturgeon Are Stacking up on the Multnomah Channel!
The Multnomah Channel is fishing right now. The photos in this post were taken on May 11th, 2026. Bright spring Chinook in the boat, plus some great catch-and-release sturgeon which are always fun work to catch. This is the spring window we all wait for, and the bite is on.
I am running trips out of the Scappoose area on the Multnomah Channel through the rest of May. If you’ve been holding off on booking, then this is the time to stop holding off!
Water temperatures are great and the fish are biting.
The lower Columbia River was closed to spring Chinook on May 7th, pending ODFW’s mid-May run update. That puts the Multnomah Channel at the top of the list for keeper springers right now. There is no better place to be.
What We’re Catching
We put chrome-bright spring Chinook in the boat—fresh fish straight off the salt, peak oil and omega content, the kind of fillet that defines the spring fishery. May springers are the best-eating salmon you can put on a grill, and you’ll taste the difference.
The sturgeon are also very strong up. The lower Willamette is holding keeper-size (3–4 ft) fish on a catch-and-release basis right now, with bigger oversized sturgeon (5–10 ft) pushing in over the next several weeks. If you’ve never had a seven-foot dinosaur pick up a bait off the bottom, that’s the trip to book. Hard pull, long fight, no replacement for the feel of it!
Why This Fishery, Right Now
The Multnomah Channel runs from below the St. Johns Bridge down to where it meets the Columbia near Scappoose, just outside St. Helens. The fishing is calm-water trolling—no whitecaps, minimal sea lion pressure, no wide-open river chaos. You can run gear cleanly, focus on the bite, and stay comfortable from launch to load-out.
I know where they are waiting and I know the most-productive techniques on the water this week. And the bite is consistent enough to run rotations and dial in what’s working that morning.
The run typically holds strong through mid- to late-May. The window is real, but it is a window… and it closes fast.
Open Days in May
Booking options:
- Full-day spring Chinook trips on the Multnomah Channel
- Salmon and sturgeon combination days
- Catch-and-release sturgeon trips
- Half-day afternoon trips for groups of three or more
I provide everything: rods, reels, bait, terminal tackle. Bring your license and tag, food and drink for the day, and clothing for the conditions. At the end of the day, your fish come off the boat cleaned, filleted, and bagged. Walk off ready to cook.
Reserve Your Fishing Trip
Call, text, or email to lock in a date. Days fill fast once the bite is consistent, and the bite is consistent right now.
Phone: 503-812-6403
Email: bigjohnsonsguideservice@gmail.com
Fish are in the channel. Water is right. The Columbia is closed. The channel is open.
Let’s go fishing!