Summer steelhead staging as spring Chinook window closes on the Columbia

What's Biting

What's Next

Based on the 55°F water temperature at USGS gauge 14113000, conditions are transitioning from the spring Chinook season into the early summer steelhead window, a shift that typically accelerates through the final week of May and into early June.

**Spring Chinook (through the weekend):** Late-run fish are still accessible, but water at 55°F sits at the upper threshold of their comfort zone. Focus drift gear, including cured roe, eggs, and sand shrimp, in deeper bucket water and shaded tailouts where fish will seek cooler, oxygenated lanes. If air temperatures climb through the holiday weekend, expect actionable bite windows to tighten toward first and last light. Per WA WDFW Fishing Reports, stocking activity and creel data can help narrow down which systems are still producing late-season fish.

**Summer steelhead (coming online):** The late-May through June period is traditionally when the first summer-run steelhead begin entering Columbia tributaries and coastal Puget Sound rivers. Flow at 1,130 cfs represents moderate, fishable conditions, giving migrating fish comfortable passage to preferred holding water. Swing flies through classic runs during low-light windows, or work drift rigs with pink worms and beads through four to six feet of water. Early arrivals in this window tend to be aggressive, particularly on the first push following a weather system that adds a modest bump in flow.

**Smallmouth bass:** The Columbia mainstem warmwater fishery approaches a productive window once surface temps clear the mid-50s range, which our current gauge reading puts squarely in play. Expect fish to be moving through post-spawn recovery and into active feeding patterns along rocky points and current seams. Finesse presentations work well in clearer water; shift to reaction baits if any turbidity is present.

**Planning the weekend:** First Quarter moon limits the most dramatic feeding spikes that coincide with full and new phases, but lunar transit still shapes activity windows. Early-morning sessions before temperatures climb are the highest-percentage play for Chinook and trout. For steelhead, dawn through mid-morning is the classic window in late May. Watch for any precipitation forecast that produces a modest rise and drop in flows; even a short rain event can trigger movement in migratory fish holding in the lower reaches.

Context

For Washington's Columbia River tributaries and Puget Sound drainages, late May typically represents one of the most dynamic transition periods of the annual fishing calendar. Spring Chinook runs, which generally peak through April and into early May on most Columbia tributaries, wind down by the final week of May. Fish remaining in-river at this point tend to be late-run adults, often tied to specific hatchery programs, and they typically show increased selectivity as water temperatures approach and exceed 55°F.

A reading of 55°F is broadly consistent with expected late-May conditions for a mid-elevation Columbia tributary, though it varies considerably by year and drainage. Cooler, wetter springs can hold river temperatures in the upper 40s well into late May on many systems. Warmer springs push surface temps into the upper 50s earlier, compressing the spring Chinook window but benefiting both summer steelhead staging and warmwater species like smallmouth bass.

Flow at 1,130 cfs at USGS gauge 14113000 suggests the system is running well off its peak spring runoff, typical for late May after snowpack has largely converted to runoff. This is generally a favorable stage for anglers: boat access is usually straightforward, and fish concentrate into predictable holding water rather than spreading across flooded banks and side channels.

No comparative signal from local charter captains, tackle shops, or specific agency bite reports was available in this reporting cycle to indicate whether 2026 is tracking ahead of or behind typical seasonal timing. Anglers planning trips through the Memorial Day weekend should check WA WDFW Fishing Reports directly for the most current creel data, hatchery stocking updates, and any emergency regulation changes before heading out. Regulations on Columbia tributaries and Puget Sound rivers vary significantly by location and run timing; confirm current rules before fishing.