Columbia River transitions to summer Chinook as late June push builds

What's biting

What's next

Without current gauge readings or local charter reports in this cycle's intel feeds, the forward look below is grounded in what late June typically delivers on the Columbia rather than observed trend lines. Treat it as a seasonal template and supplement with local tackle-shop intel before launching.

**Through the weekend (June 25–26):** The Waxing Gibbous moon will approach full by the weekend, brightening nights and compressing reliable bite windows toward low-light edges of the day. On the Columbia, lunar influence shows most clearly in timing rather than tidal stage — the first two hours after dawn and the last hour before dark historically produce the most consistent salmon and sturgeon action during a waxing-to-full phase. If summer Chinook are beginning to stage below Bonneville, trolling herring or large spinners near the dam face at first light is the conventional tactic to target early arrivals.

**Chinook transition:** Daily fish-passage counts at Bonneville Dam are the single most reliable real-time indicator of where the salmon season stands. When summer Chinook counts begin climbing into the hundreds per day, the bite on the lower-middle river typically sharpens as fish commit to their upstream push. Trolling anchovies or spinner rigs in the main channel and along the Washington-side ledges is the standard approach as the run builds through July.

**White sturgeon:** June and early July historically offer some of the most accessible sturgeon fishing of the year in open harvest zones on the mid-Columbia. Anchor on the bottom with smelt or sand shrimp in deep holes and channel edges; the most productive windows often coincide with changing water velocity near tributary confluences. Confirm current retention slot and harvest rules with ODFW or WDFW before keeping fish, as zone-specific regulations change annually.

**Summer steelhead:** A-run summer steelhead typically begin clearing Bonneville in low but fishable numbers by late June, with the bulk of the run arriving in July. Side drifting with cured roe or swinging wet flies at dawn are the go-to approaches when fish are on the move through the lower river.

Monitor USGS gauge readings at The Dalles and Bonneville before planning upriver runs, as late-season snowmelt on the upper tributaries can push flows and color water quickly.

Context

For the Columbia River in late June, the seasonal playbook is well established even when current-cycle intel is sparse. Spring Chinook — the most prized fish on the river — typically peak in abundance between April and mid-June on the lower Columbia, with runs diminishing by the final week of June as fish complete their upstream migration past Bonneville and into the upper tribs. By this point in a typical year, guides operating out of the lower river are already shifting focus from spring fish to the first upriver-bright summer Chinook staging below the dam.

This transition window — roughly the final week of June through the first week of July — is historically a mixed bag. Anglers who intercept the season's last spring fish or the earliest summer arrivals can experience excellent action, but the between-runs lull is real, and experienced Columbia guides often describe this week as the pause between chapters.

White sturgeon follow a different rhythm entirely. Unlike salmon, they do not migrate on a defined run calendar, but sturgeon feeding activity on the Columbia historically increases through summer as water warms and baitfish — shad, smelt, and lamprey — concentrate in the main channel. Late June through August is generally considered some of the most reliable sturgeon fishing of the year in the lower and mid-Columbia zones.

Summer steelhead have historically been present in small but fishable numbers at Bonneville by the final week of June, with the bulk of the A-run arriving through July and into August.

No comparative seasonal data was available from this week's intel feeds to assess whether 2026 returns are running ahead of, on pace with, or behind historic norms. The Army Corps of Engineers publishes daily Bonneville Dam fish-passage counts online — that data is the most reliable real-time barometer of where the Columbia salmon season stands right now, and worth checking before making a long drive to the river.