Columbia River Mouth (Buoy 10) fishing conditions and tides
Oregon · Pacific coast · 8 ft mean tide range · 14 ppt
The largest salmon funnel on the West Coast, where the Columbia meets the Pacific
Current conditions
Excellent
Fishing score 93/100
How this score is calculated
55°F against a 52–66°F band for fall chinook salmon.
Outgoing (ebb) at 5 ft, moving 1.6 ft/hr. Strong water movement is positioning bait on structure.
5 mph out of the E. Workable wind with useful chop.
2.1 ft at 8 seconds. Good working surf for beaches and inlets.
Good working clarity with some colour for cover.
29.66 inHg and steady.
56% illumination — neap tides with a smaller exchange.
Fall pattern is fully established for this zone.
What should I do today?
The highest-percentage pattern for this tide and this wind.
Backup pattern
Coho Salmon — trolling spinners and herring in the top 20 ft in 5–30 ft. Show in big numbers in September, often higher in the water column than Chinook.
Right now
Current conditions
Tide
Outgoing (ebb)
5 ft, -1.6 ft/hr
Next high
—
Tomorrow
Next low
—
Tomorrow
Mean range
8 ft
Typical high-to-low swing
Water temp
55°F
-0.7°F / 3 days
Water clarity
Lightly stained
Salinity about 14 ppt
Swell
2.1 ft
8 second period
Wind
5 mph
Out of the E
Pressure
29.66"
Stable pressure
Air temp
57°F
31% cloud cover
Moon
56%
First Quarter · solunar 12/100
Daylight
6:47 AM
Sunset 5:13 PM
Timing
Today's tides and fishing windows
- Low tide (1.2 ft) — tide change window1:08 AM – 3:08 AM
- Solunar major 25:56 AM – 7:56 AM
- Morning prime window6:22 AM – 9:07 AM
- Sunrise6:47 AM
- High tide (7.2 ft) — tide change window7:21 AM – 9:21 AM
- Low tide (0.8 ft) — tide change window1:33 PM – 3:33 PM
- Evening window3:13 PM – 5:48 PM
- Sunset5:13 PM
- Solunar major 15:56 PM – 7:56 PM
- High tide (6.8 ft) — tide change window7:46 PM – 9:46 PM
Targets
Target species in this zone
| Species | Activity | Depth | Best tide | Technique | Bait | Active temp | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall Chinook Salmon | ★★★★★ | 15–60 ft | Incoming tide along the channel edge | Trolling cut-plug herring or a spinner behind a diver | Herring, anchovy | 52–66°F | August through September |
| Coho Salmon | ★★★★★ | 5–30 ft | Incoming, fished shallower than Chinook | Trolling spinners and herring in the top 20 ft | Herring | 52–62°F | September through early October |
| White Sturgeon | ★★★★☆ | 20–70 ft | Anchored on a strong tide | Anchored bottom rig | Anchovy, sand shrimp, smelt | 45–62°F | Varies by season regulation |
| Albacore Tuna | ★★★★☆ | 0–100 ft | Offshore, tide-independent | Trolling clones then live-bait stops | Live anchovy | 58–66°F | July through September |
- Fall Chinook Salmon: Hold along the channel edges and push upriver on the incoming; the biggest fish run in mid to late August.
- Coho Salmon: Show in big numbers in September, often higher in the water column than Chinook.
- White Sturgeon: Hold in the deep holes below Astoria; retention seasons are short and strictly managed.
- Albacore Tuna: Run 30–60 miles offshore when the warm blue water pushes in during late summer.
Structure
Habitat and structure that holds fish
- River channel
- Tidal sand flat
- Jetty rock
- Estuary
- Ocean bar
- Buoy 10 line
- Desdemona Sands
- Astoria bridge pilings
- South Jetty
- Church Hole
Surf and beach notes
The Columbia bar is a genuine hazard. Check the Coast Guard bar report; small boats should stay inside the jetties on any ebb with a swell over 6 ft.
Bait in the zone
Green and blue label herring for trolling, anchovies for sturgeon and tuna stops.
Patterns
Season-by-season patterns
Spring
48–56°FSpring Chinook run upriver; the estuary itself is high, cold and pushing heavy flow.
Summer
60–68°FBuoy 10 opens in August and the fishery peaks; albacore show offshore on warm-water pushes.
Fall
54–62°FCoho dominate September; fish move upriver quickly with each rain event.
Winter
44–48°FThe estuary is largely a sturgeon and smelt fishery; bar crossings are rarely safe.
Outlook
7-day fishing forecast
| Day | Score | Water | Wind | Swell | First high tide | Best species | Morning window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 87Excellent | 55°F | 5 mph E | 2.1 ft | 8:21 AM (7.2 ft) | Fall Chinook Salmon | 6:22 AM – 9:07 AM |
| Tue | 79Very Good | 57°F | 9 mph SW | 2.3 ft | 9:11 AM (7.6 ft) | Fall Chinook Salmon | 6:24 AM – 9:09 AM |
| Wed | 97Excellent | 57°F | 14 mph NW | 2.3 ft | 10:02 AM (8 ft) | Fall Chinook Salmon | 6:25 AM – 9:10 AM |
| Thu | 98Excellent | 59°F | 6 mph SW | 2 ft | 10:52 AM (8.4 ft) | Fall Chinook Salmon | 6:27 AM – 9:12 AM |
| Fri | 89Excellent | 55°F | 18 mph SE | 4.2 ft | 11:42 AM (8.6 ft) | Fall Chinook Salmon | 6:28 AM – 9:13 AM |
| Sat | 95Excellent | 57°F | 13 mph E | 3.4 ft | 12:08 AM (8.8 ft) | Fall Chinook Salmon | 6:30 AM – 9:15 AM |
| Sun | 90Excellent | 56°F | 17 mph SW | 4.4 ft | 12:58 AM (9 ft) | Fall Chinook Salmon | 6:31 AM – 9:16 AM |
Trends
Last 7 days
Water temperature
58°F → 55°F
Wind
20 mph → 5 mph
Swell
4.8 ft → 2.1 ft
Daily score
79 → 87
Water temperature has dropped 3°F this week. Expect fish to slide toward deeper channels and to bite best in the warmest part of the afternoon.
The water
About Columbia River Mouth (Buoy 10)
Every salmon returning to the Columbia system — from Astoria to Idaho — passes through the mouth of the river, and the Buoy 10 fishery targets them in the last 16 miles. Tide range reaches 8 ft, and with the river's own flow pushing against the flood, the current here is complex and powerful. The bar at the mouth is one of the most dangerous stretches of water in North America.
Local knowledge
Expert notes
- Fish the incoming tide along the edge of the shipping channel, not in the middle. Salmon ride the edge where the current slows against the sand.
- Chinook run deeper than coho in the same water. If you are catching only coho, put a diver down another 15 ft rather than changing bait.
- When the ebb builds against an ocean swell, the bar can go from passable to lethal in 30 minutes. If you are questioning it, stay inside — the fish are inside anyway during the flood.
Logistics
Access, ramps and launches
boat ramp
Hammond boat basin
The main Buoy 10 launch; the lot fills before dawn in August.
marina
Astoria East Mooring Basin
Fuel, moorage and access to the upper estuary holes.
shore
Fort Stevens South Jetty
Bank and jetty access for salmon and surfperch.
kayak launch
Youngs Bay kayak launch
Protected water away from the main channel traffic.
Rules
Regulations
- Oregon or Washington license valid in the shared Columbia River zone under a concurrent-waters agreement.
- Buoy 10 seasons, bag limits and hatchery-only rules are set annually and can change mid-season.
- Sturgeon retention days are announced in advance and are typically only a handful of days per year.
Always verify current regulations with the relevant state wildlife agency before fishing. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Transparency
Data sources
Where this data comes from
Conditions are modelled from each water's documented climate, structure and seasonal patterns. Modules marked “Live data integration pending” are not yet pulling from their API, so those values are clearly labelled as sample data rather than presented as real-time readings.
Weather API
PendingNOAA / National Weather Service — Air temperature, wind, cloud cover, rainfall and barometric pressure with a 7-day forecast.
Water Level & Flow API
PendingUSGS Water Services — Reservoir stage, discharge and 7-day level trend from the nearest gauge.
Water Temperature
PendingUSGS / NOAA buoys — Surface water temperature and its multi-day trend.
Tide & Current API
PendingNOAA CO-OPS — Tide predictions, current direction and speed for coastal zones.
Moon & Solunar
LiveComputed on-site — Moon phase, illumination and solunar major/minor periods are calculated from date and coordinates.
Water Clarity
PendingSatellite imagery + angler reports — Visibility estimates by lake arm, refined by submitted fishing reports.
Fishing Regulations
PendingState wildlife agencies — License, size and creel rules, linked to the official agency page for verification.
Map Data
PendingBathymetry + access point database — Depth zones, structure locations and boat ramps for the lake infographic.
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