Columbia River Sturgeon Fishing Guide

As a Columbian River sturgeon fishing guide for more than 25 years, this is one of my all-time favorite fishing trips.

The Columbia River in Oregon and Washington offers year-round sturgeon fishing fun in the Portland, Oregon, area and into the Columbia River Gorge, a National Scenic Area.

And catching sturgeon has always been one of my passions, both as an angler and as a Columbia River sturgeon fishing guide.

Whether you join me for sturgeon fishing in the winter or in the summer, Marvin’s Guide Service has you covered—literally, my 27-foot Alumaweld Intruder boat is covered, and I will have the heater on to keep you nice and toasty in the winter months. Learn more about Marvin’s Guide Boat by clicking here.

Sturgeons we typically catch can run anywhere from 2 to 12 feet long. That’s right, 12 feet and about 700 pounds! Those “monster sturgeon” are a catch-and-release fishery to help maintain this ancient species, which has been swimming the Columbia River since the dinosaurs roamed.

We also offer guided fishing trips for monster sturgeon in the Columbia River Gorge near Bonneville Dam and the Dalles Dam. The best fishing is from May through September, which also happens to be when the weather is often picture-perfect in the Northwest.

For these massive fish, we use American shad for bait. These baits are 2 to 5 pounds each, which is bigger than many fish you’ve probably caught. We put a whole shad on your hook. When seasons allow, we will even take you out to catch shad for bait in the morning.

Believe it or not, sometimes these sturgeons jump clear out of the water while on the end of your line. Fighting one of these prehistoric fish is a memory that will last a lifetime. You can learn more about the life of a sturgeon by clicking here.

These Sturgeon are so huge that we must keep them in the water to unhook and release the biggest sturgeon. Wear a swimsuit under your clothes, and you too can jump in for the most Instagram-worthy photo of your life. A Columbia River sturgeon fishing guided trip will leave lifelong memories. 

As fishery managers in Oregon and Washington allow it, we also offer some limited dates for keeper sturgeon fishing. Sturgeon must fall within a “slot limit” to be kept during designated fisheries. Let me know if you want to keep a sturgeon, and I’ll do our best to get you on board for one of these opportunities. Sturgeon are one of my favorite fish to eat, when I get the chance. Book your Columbia River Sturgeon fishing guide here.

Willamette River Sturgeon Fishing Guide

We also have a robust catch-and-release sturgeon fishery in the heart of Portland, Oregon, where big sturgeon spend much of their year.

Tucked between tall buildings and mammoth cargo ships, I have a few fishing holes where we’ll have a reliable sturgeon bite at different times of the year.

If you want a sturgeon trip that almost guarantees everyone in your fishing group will wrestle with one of the biggest fish you’ve ever caught without even leaving the city, let’s set you up for a fun, hassle-free trip with a Columbia River chartered sturgeon fishing trip.

Read more about sturgeon fishing in the Willamette River.

Contact me today if you want to talk about the Sturgeon Fishing Trip of a Lifetime!