Marty's Drift November 2001

September on the Grande Ronde

Gene Hering, producer of Fly Fish TV, (on the Outdoor Life Network)had been wanting to do a program on Grande Ronde steelhead for quite awhile. Earlier in the summer, I was planning a three or four day float that Gene was going to join, but my original plans fell through. I knew that John Ecklund, owner of Little Creek Outfitters, did steelhead trips on the Grande Ronde so I put Gene and John in touch with each other. Somehow in the process I was invited along the fishing video shoot.

Gene and I met John in LaGrande, Oregon. From there we drove to Bogan's Oasis in the Washington section on the river. The drive from LaGrande to Bogan's is worth the time it takes to make it. This is some very scenic country. Coming down the Rattlesnake Grade to the river is an experience in the ultimate twisting turning road. At Bogan's we purchased our fishing license, arranged a shuttle and had some dinner. after dinner we pulled down to the river and began to get our boats and gear ready for our float in the morning.

The weather was mild and dry. The river level was still pretty low, only about 350 to 400 cfs. We had lots of rocks showing and thin water over the tailouts. It turned out we were glad we were in a light weight, slippery bottom, fiberglass boat. The weather was so nice we didn't even bother with tents, just spread out a tarp and sleeping pad, and watched the stars while falling asleep.

We began to fish just below the boat put in. The runs looked promising and our flies fished nicely. We floated four or five miles before reaching. our camp site. In that four or five miles we fished five or six good runs. The Grande Ronde has lots of nice fly fishing water.

Once we got our camp set up and ate some lunch we began fishing the water adjacent to camp. John, being the guide, insisted that I go through the water first. I was fishing a dark wet fly pattern on a floating line. John was following with a Moose Turd. The Moose Turd pattern was developed by our friend Bill McMillan. It is a surface skating pattern. John found a steelhead that preferred the skater over the wet fly. And it was quite a steelhead. The fish went about 50 or 60 yards passed me and I was 20 or 30 yards below John.

Gene was ready with the camera and he was able to record the whole encounter on tape. This was a really beautiful fish. It was a wild female of about eight or nine pounds. John handled the fish tenderly, being careful to keep it in the water and only lift it briefly for photos. Once we were done filming the fish swam away strongly. When you are releasing a wild fish remember lifting it out of the water is about the same as someone forcing you under water, except fish don't get a chance to take a deep breath. Don't keep them above the surface for more than a second or two.

After John landed the fish he headed back to camp to get dinner started. I continued to fish another 30 or 45 minutes, but the action seemed to be over. Back at camp we kicked back, had a beer, a tasty dinner and a beautiful fall evening.

We were up early the next morning for another go at the steelhead after breakfast. A mile or so below our camp site we were on another great looking run. I hooked several hatchery smolts that had residualized. Among wild fish advocates there is much criticism over the large number of hatchery fish planted in the Grande Ronde. The sheer numbers of hatchery fish can displace wild fish. When they return as adults they can interbreed with wild fish causing damage and weakening the wild gene pool. Many juvenile hatchery steelhead stay in the river rather than migrating to the ocean. These additional juvenile fish put a strain on food supplies for wild juvenile steelhead and wild, indigenous trout.

As my fly was swing below a submerged boulder I saw a large flash of silver and felt a slight pull on my line. I just missed my only opportunity for fish. It would not come back, though I tried for another 20 or 30 minutes, changing flies three or four times. I've had the same thing happen several times since September, and in the past 25 years I've had steelhead boil at or pull flies. Seldom, if even do the fish come back. I think their action scares them, but who knows?

As the morning wore on, the sun began to penetrate the canyon, and sun beat down on the runs. We began to push on for our take out point, enjoying the canyon scenery as we floated. Occasionally we could hear chukar call from the ridges. We saw three or four golden eagles soaring the canyon rim. One eagle perched on a rock outcropping just above us.

It was a short, but very enjoyable trip. Considering the low water conditions, the fishing was fair. John Ecklund runs excellent trips on the Grande Ronde. At this time of year, he is guiding on the John Day, and he has a great program going there too. Give him a call if you are interested in steelhead fishing on the Grande Ronde or John Day:

Little Creek Outfitters, 541-963-7878, email:littlecr@ucinet.com,
1505 "L" Ave., LaGrande, OR 97850

Bogan's Oasis, Highway 129, Anatone, Wa 99401, 509-256-3372 restaurant, shuttles, lodging, guide service, Troy, OR Shilo Resort

Give Marty a call at: (503) 655-9532

You can also call Idaho Falls at (800) 394-1345.