Columbia summer Chinook and smallmouth peak as late-June full moon arrives

What's biting

What's next

**Next 2–3 Days**

With no real-time gauge data available this reporting cycle, flow forecasts for the Columbia mainstem and Puget Sound tributaries depend on USGS stream records and any WDFW emergency-closure updates — always worth a quick check before rigging up. Anglers heading to the Columbia should monitor whether summer flows have settled into fishable range after late snowmelt, as high or turbid conditions in any given year can push fish to slower water near the banks.

For summer Chinook, late June is historically a productive window on the lower and mid-Columbia as both A-run and early B-run summer fish move through. Early mornings around low-light transitions tend to yield the most consistent action. Trolling with spinners and cut-plug herring near the surface has historically produced well during this phase, though retention limits and hatchery-vs.-wild rules vary significantly by river reach — confirm current regulations with WA WDFW Fishing Reports before keeping any fish.

**Full Moon Influence**

The full moon arriving June 28 is worth planning around. Chinook and summer steelhead often shift feeding activity into the low-light hours just before dawn and after sunset during bright moon phases, while midday bite can go quiet. Smallmouth bass, by contrast, tend to extend their surface feeding window on calm, moonlit evenings — topwater presentations on rocky mid-Columbia banks after sundown could be worth an extended session this weekend.

**Smallmouth and Sturgeon**

Smallmouth bass in the mid-Columbia are almost certainly in peak summer pattern, stacking on current breaks, rocky points, and behind submerged structure in the 8–20-foot range. Crankbaits, tube jigs, and drop-shot rigs are the historically reliable presentations for this window. For white sturgeon, the Columbia remains one of the premier catch-and-release destinations in the Northwest; Wired 2 Fish reported a guide on the nearby Fraser River releasing a fish estimated at 1,200 pounds this week — illustrating just how large these prehistoric animals grow across the region's river systems.

**Summer Steelhead**

Early summer steelhead are beginning their push into Columbia tributaries, with the Snake River drainage and upper Columbia systems typically receiving the vanguard of fish through late June. Numbers build through July. Swinging flies through tail-outs and fishing drift rigs with roe are standard for this early-run stage; confirm open reaches and any hatchery retention rules with WDFW before fishing.

Context

Late June sits at a well-defined seasonal hinge point for Washington's river fisheries. On the Columbia, the spring Chinook window has typically closed by mid-June, handing the primary salmon fishery off to summer-run Chinook — historically one of the more productive periods before peak summer heat pushes fish deep and tight to structure in August. Flows from the Columbia's extensive snowpack drainage usually moderate through June in most years, transitioning from the high, cold, and often off-color spring pulse to lower, cleaner summer flows more favorable to lighter presentations and clearer sight lines.

For Puget Sound tributaries — the Snoqualmie, Skykomish, Green, and Puyallup systems among them — late June marks a quieter stretch between spring Chinook returns and the coho runs that build through summer into fall. Summer steelhead are typically the primary draw in these drainages at this time of year, with fish holding in deeper pools and runs during the warmest midday hours and becoming more active in low-light periods.

No comparative angler-intel signals were available from this reporting cycle to benchmark current 2026 conditions against prior years. WA WDFW Fishing Reports, the primary source for creel and catch survey data across Washington waters, did not return specific bite data in this cycle's feed — the department's access-site interviewing program remains the most reliable real-time source for how any given season tracks against historical averages. WA Sea Grant's current field work in the region is focused on invasive European green crab monitoring in the Salish Sea, not freshwater sport fisheries, so no additional comparative signal was available from that source. Anglers with recent on-water experience on the Columbia or Puget Sound tributaries are the best fill for the data gap this week.