Steelhead Bonanza
Grande Ronde, Washington
The Grande Ronde starts in the northeast corner of Oregon and cuts through the arid southeast Washington landscape, creating a dramatic series of rimrock canyons connected by a cobaltlike necklace.
Grande Ronde steelhead are normally “one-salt” fish that weigh from 4 to 6 pounds after one season in the ocean, but two-salt fish from 6 to 10 pounds are caught regularity. These are surface-oriented fish lying in an endless series of shallow riffles and pools perfectly suited for the fly.
According to Washington guide Dennis Dickson, Grande Ronde fish are unusual in that they seem to prefer skating and waking flies when the sun is shining directly on the water. When a pool falls into the shadows, a fly fished with a floating line just under the surface is more effective.
Joe Threadgill, who runs the steelhead outfitting on the Grande Ronde for The Evening Hatch fly shop, says a 10-foot, 7-weight rod is perfect for this water. Use a 9-foot leader tapered down to 10- or 12-pound test and flies from #1/0 to #6.
Threadgill recomends presentations in or above the surface film when the water is 52 to 57 degrees F. When the water drops just below 52 degrees, he fishes in the top few inches with a wet-fly swing or greased-line presentation. When the water gets down around 45 degrees, it’s time to head down to the Snake to find warmer water or use sinking-tip lines.
According to the Fish Passage Center (www.fpc.org), between 47,000 and 86,000 steelhead bound for the upper Snake River tributaries passed Lower Granite Dam annually between 1993 and 1999. In 2000 the run was 113,000 total fish, and in 2001 there were 263,000 total steelhead, including 47,000 wild steelhead—more than double the previous year’s returns for both hatchery and wild fish. The last two years have provided the best fishing in recent memory and early steelhead returns in 2002 were double the 10-year average, indicating another strong year in 2002. Most steelhead pass Lower Granite Dam during the last two weeks of September and early October, so plan your trip accordingly.
For wading anglers, there are three excellent areas to fish. The first is the lower 2 miles of river near the confluence with the Snake. This short stretch is the most crowded piece of water on the Grande Ronde, but with good reason. All Grande Ronde steelhead pass through here, and this lower reach also hosts “visitor” steelhead from the Snake, Salmon, and Clearwater rivers. Each one seems to pause briefly, as if to savor the scent of the Grande Ronde.
You can also wade the river near Boggans Oasis (509-256-3372), a motel/gas station/restaurant/shuttle service located on Highway 129 where it crosses the river. From Boggans Oasis you can fish the river up- or downstream from the bridge or get directions to the Shumaker Grade access downstream. While Boggans is good for wading anglers on foot, it is also the starting point for one-day float trips down to Shumaker Grade or multiday trips down to the confluence with the Snake.
If you bring your own boat, be safe and float Boggans Oasis to Shumaker Grade only. A basalt rock formation below Shumaker Grade compresses the entire river into a dangerous chute called the Narrows. Lives have been lost here and boats destroyed, so hire a guide to fish this remote area.
Washington hatchery fish rarely wander into Oregon, so there are fewer steelhead and fishermen on the excellent walk-and-wade fly water along Grande Ronde Road downstream of the town of Troy, Oregon. Fish this water later in the season when the steelhead have had time to push upstream.
Local contacts. Dennis Dickson (Washington guide), (360) 435-6499; The Evening Hatch (Washington Outfitter), (509) 962-5959; Twin Rivers Fly Shop (Lewiston, Idaho), (208) 746-8946; John Eckland, Little Creek Outfitters, (541) 963-7878.
Klamath River, California
California’s Klamath River has sea-run cutthroat trout as well as Chinook and coho salmon, but is best known for its prolific run of small steelhead fondly called “half-pounders.” Instead of spending several years ranging through the Pacific like most northern runs of steelhead, these fish spend only a few months in the salty estuaries of the California and Oregon coastline, then return to the river in the fall whether they intend to spawn or not. A sexually immature steelhead back from its first visit to the salt can be as small as 12 inches, while an atypical sexually mature fish can weigh as much as 6 or 8 pounds. Most of the steelhead in the river range from 14 to 20 inches long and weigh up to 3 pounds.
They have the heart and soul of large steelhead—they lie and move through the same type of water, react to the fly in the same way, and make breath-taking runs on 5- and 6-weight tackle.
While the words “small” and “steelhead” may seem incongruous, consider that on many steelhead rivers, three fish per day is often grounds to brag. On the Klamath, good anglers can hook as many as 20 half-pounders during the peak of the run, with several adults exceeding 20 inches in length.
Use your trout tackle on this river with a floating line and #6-8 flies such as the Lambroughton River Spider, Bill McMillan’s Steelhead Caddis Skater, or wets like the Silver Hilton, Comet, or Brindle Bug.
Use a 9-foot leader tapered to 8-pound-test tippet with a basic wet-fly swing, or if the water is more than 45 degrees F. and the fish are active, use a greased-line approach to bring the fish to the surface.
Copyright © 2012 Intermedia Outdoors
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