Grande Ronde lives up to name
By: Scott Sandsberry
The Grande Ronde River flows from the mountains in Eastern Oregon and cuts through the very southeast corner of Washington before dumping into the Snake River south of Clarkston. On its short journey through Washington, the river flows through some of the most rugged and beautiful, and incredibly steep, country our state has to offer.
Besides being one of the more remote rivers in the state, over the past decade the Grande Ronde has become a hot spot for steelhead fishing. The steelhead that return there each fall are not huge, but they are feisty and plentiful.
One of the rivers on my "gotta try it one of these days" steelhead hit list, I finally was able to fish the Grande Ronde this past weekend. I joined Jeff Holmes, an Eastern Washington University English professor and part time hunting and fishing advocate for the Sierra Club, on a drift trip with Brian Nielson of BJ's Guide Service.
Our trip started by dropping the drift b! oat in the river at Boggan's Oasis, not far from the town of Anatone. With the early morning temperature in the 20s and the prospect of the sun not hitting the water in the deep canyon for several hours, I wasn't looking forward to a morning of sitting in what was sure to be the equivalent of a giant freezer.
My three layers of outerwear helped stave off the cold in the beginning, and when the first steelhead hit a short ways from the boat launch, I forgot all about my quickly freezing fingertips and watched as Jeff fought a chunky, eight-pound native steelhead.
After the fish was released, Brian rowed us back up to the head of the drift, and in almost the same spot as where Jeff had hooked his fish a few minutes before, my rod tip started bucking. Following a short but tough fight, the seven-pound buck slid into the net and I had my first Grande Ronde steelie.
As is the case in most other rivers in Washington, only two adipose-clipped hatchery steelhead m! ay be kept on the Grande Ronde. Wild fish must be released unharmed. T here is a good mixture of wild and hatchery fish that return to the river starting in September each year. Which is amazing considering their trip is a 476-mile journey from the Pacific Ocean, up the Columbia and Snake Rivers and includes climbing eight dams.
"The best fishing in this stretch of the river is in October," said Nielson. "But we catch fish throughout the winter clear until March. It just depends on the water temperature whether or not the fish will be in a biting mood."
On Sunday the water temperature was 38 degrees. Nielson said anything over 36 degrees is good. Under that temperature, the steelhead get somewhat lethargic.
We back-trolled diving plugs into the deeper, slower stretches of the eight-mile drift from Boggan's down to the Shumaker Grade take-out. And we did so with good success. When we finally reached the take-out at about 3 that afternoon, Jeff and I had caught one wild and two hatchery fish each, and - as can happen anytime wh! en steelhead fishing - we missed a couple of other good takedowns.
Our largest fish of the day was a 30-inch, 10-pound hatchery fish, with the others all being in the seven- to eight-pound range. Nielson said that an occasional 12- or 14-pound fish will be caught on the Grande Ronde, but the fish that we caught on Sunday were very typical.
The short stretch of the river that we fished last weekend is virtually roadless. The only road access is at Boggan's and at Shumaker, where each road winds down an incredibly scenic grade to get to the river. So the best way to fish this area is by drift boat. But that's not to say that bank anglers don't have access and can't catch fish. At both launch locations we saw bank anglers working drift rigs and bobber-and-jig combinations through drifts.
First-time drift boaters on this portion of the Grande Ronde wouldn't have any problems rowing the river. Of course, that depends on the water flow. But a first-timer might w! ant to go with a guide just to see the holes and to get a feel for whe re to spend the majority of the fishing effort.
Nielson, a native of Eastern Washington, has been fishing the Grande Ronde for more than 25 years and has a great knowledge of the river, the fish and the history of the area. He uses a number of methods to catch the steelhead of the Grande Ronde. He prefers to use diving plugs. But when they don't work, he will switch to using baits such as sandshrimp behind a diver.
"When the water gets colder and the fish are less active, that's when divers and bait will work," Nielson tutored.
And, when his clients request it, he will fish with flies as well.
Flyfishing for steelhead on other parts of the Grande Ronde has become very popular. The lower stretch of the river, closer to Heller Bar, where it dumps into the Snake has road access on the south side of the river. Anglers from all over come to the Grande Ronde to try their hand at catching a steelhead with a fly.
The Grande Ronde is a beautiful river. B! ald and golden eagles soar overhead. Mule deer watch as you drift by. And every hour or so a rosey-cheeked steelhead will grab your lure and give you a pretty good fight. What more could an angler ask.
I don't know why it has taken me so long to get to the Grande Ronde. After the great trip down the river last Sunday, I can tell you it won't be nearly as long before I go back!
Check out: Bj's Guide Service | | |
