Columbia River transition: steelhead and bass rising as spring Chinook wrap up
USGS gauge 14113000 on a Columbia River tributary logged water at 54°F and 1,090 cfs at noon on May 26 — a reading that falls squarely in the late-spring transition window between the closing of the spring Chinook push and the opening of summer steelhead action. WA WDFW Fishing Reports confirms the department is actively running creel interviews and stocking surveys statewide, though specific bite detail for Columbia and Puget Sound river corridors was not captured in today's pull. With spring Chinook runs typically tapering through the final week of May, angler focus is shifting toward summer-run steelhead beginning to enter tributary systems and Columbia River smallmouth bass, which feed aggressively once water temps settle in the low-to-mid 50s. On Puget Sound drainage rivers, resident rainbow and cutthroat trout are well within their active temperature range at 54°F. Check current WA WDFW regulations before targeting salmon — river-specific closures and retention rules vary widely and can change week to week.
Current Conditions
- Water temp
- 54°F
- Moon
- Waxing Gibbous
- Tide / flow
- Columbia tributary gauge 14113000 running 1,090 cfs — flows in fishable range; watch for any late-week snowmelt bump.
- Weather
- Check local forecast before heading out.
New to these readings? What do water temp, cfs, tide, and moon phase actually mean for fishing?
What's Biting
Spring Chinook Salmon
late-run stragglers; verify WDFW open periods and retention rules before targeting
Summer Steelhead
swinging soft-hackles and dead-drifting nymphs through tailouts at first light
Smallmouth Bass
drop-shots and tube baits worked slowly along rocky ledges and current breaks
Cutthroat / Rainbow Trout
attractor dries and small streamers during mid-morning caddis and PMD hatches
What's Next
With the waxing gibbous moon overhead and water temps holding at 54°F, the next two to three days present a solid multi-species window across Columbia and Puget Sound area rivers. Moon phase typically pushes feeding activity into low-light periods — first light and the hour before sunset are the priority windows, especially for steelhead and trout holding in mid-river structure.
On Columbia River tributaries where gauge 14113000 reads 1,090 cfs, flows are running in a fishable range. Late-May snowmelt from the Cascade crest can spike gauge readings quickly on warm afternoons; if flows push much past the 1,500 cfs threshold, expect fish to drop out of their established lies as visibility drops. Stable or slowly falling flows over the weekend will concentrate fish in predictable seams, tailouts, and soft-water pockets adjacent to faster current.
Summer-run steelhead should be the primary target this week and into the weekend. As water temps nudge toward the upper 50s, the early summer push typically accelerates — fish hold in deeper runs and slower slots during midday heat and slide into shallower riffles and boulder gardens at dawn and dusk. Swinging soft-hackles and small intruder-style flies through tailouts is the traditional approach; dead-drifted nymphs and bead rigs fished under a float can also produce for early-season fish in higher, off-color flows.
Smallmouth bass on the lower Columbia mainstem and its warmer side channels will grow increasingly active as afternoon water temps build through the day. The 54°F baseline is already enough to trigger reliable feeding; once calmer backwaters edge toward 58–62°F, look for fish stacked on rocky ledges, submerged boulders, and current breaks. Drop-shot rigs and tube baits worked slowly along bottom structure are dependable producers at this stage of the season.
On Puget Sound drainage rivers, resident rainbow and cutthroat trout are in prime mid-spring feeding posture. On days with good clarity, attractor dry flies and small streamers during caddis and PMD hatch windows — typically mid-morning to early afternoon — should move fish. Check WA WDFW stocking records to identify recently planted river sections for the most consistent action heading into the Memorial Day weekend.
Context
Late May on Washington's Columbia system historically marks the tail end of the spring Chinook season and the start of the summer fishery transition. The peak of the Columbia spring Chinook run — the prized "springer" — typically falls between April and mid-May, with counts tapering off noticeably during the final week of May. A gauge reading of 1,090 cfs on a Columbia tributary is consistent with post-peak runoff conditions as rivers settle into their early-summer character following the main snowmelt pulse.
Water at 54°F on May 26 is right on schedule for this drainage. It sits cold enough to keep salmon and steelhead in good physiological condition yet warm enough to pull smallmouth bass into pre-spawn and spawn-adjacent feeding patterns along rocky lower-river structure. On Puget Sound drainage rivers, late May is traditionally one of the more productive windows for resident trout — spring runoff has generally moderated on lower-elevation systems by this point, water clarity improves, and mayfly and caddis hatches begin ramping up toward peak activity through early June.
Summer steelhead can arrive in fishable numbers on certain Columbia tributaries as early as mid-May, with fish continuing to build through June and July. Whether this year's run is tracking ahead of, behind, or on par with the long-term average is not determinable from today's available intel — WA WDFW Fishing Reports confirms active statewide monitoring is underway but detailed catch-rate data for this specific cycle was not included in today's pull. Anglers planning a trip should consult WDFW's current online catch reports and check for any active emergency closures before heading out, as steelhead retention rules in particular vary significantly by river reach and can be updated on short notice.
This report is synthesized by Hooked Fisherman from real-time NOAA buoy data, USGS stream gauges, and current reports across regional fishing blogs, captain updates, and angler forums. Source names are cited inline where they appear. Check local regulations before keeping fish. Never trust a single source for a trip decision.