Steelhead Fishing the Grande Ronde River
Grande Ronde Steelhead fishing opportunities are perhaps some of the best in the Northwest.  Make a trip this fall or winter and remember that great steelhead fishing occurs throughout the season.
Prime steelhead fishing begins in October as the main run of fish start entering the “Ronde” and moving upriver. The steelhead will normally be spread throughout the system by mid to late November and numbers will continue to build up during the winter months.
The Grande Ronde River in Washington is perhaps the most versatile steelhead stream in the eastern part of the state. The Summer Run Steelhead will begin entering the river as early as August and the fishery continues well into April each year. This little river is well suited to all styles of fishing and is particularly attractive to the fly fishing enthusiast..
From its confluence with the Snake River, approximately 30 miles south of Clarkston, WA this river winds through a scenic canyon with a great variety of flora and fauna to the state line near Troy, Oregon. Throughout this stretch you will find the entire river a picturesque and pleasant place to spend some time.
Grande Ronde Steelhead - Winter fishing.
The lower 2 to 3 miles of river is restricted to catch and release only (single, barbless hooks and no bait) for the entire season. This area is especially popular with the fly fishers and is easily accessed and very well suited to this method. From this point upstream the river has several miles of roadless area that is accessed by drift boat or raft from upstream launch points at Shumaker or Boggans Oasis (the DeLorme Washington Atlas provides an excellent resource for locating these areas).
State Highway 129 intersects the river at Boggans and the county road follows the river upstream into Oregon from this point west, most of the river is open to public access along this entire area.

Popular fishing methods for steelhead include everything from tossing small spinners (Mepp’s, Roostertails etc.) to plunking bait or fly fishing.

The most productive presentations are drifting bait (shrimp and roe), either by free drifting or using the ever popular slip float and hardware (spinners) as well as flyfishing.The majority of steelhead in this river will run in the 4 to 6 lb. range with a few fish reaching into the teens. The Grande Ronde also supports a good population of rainbows, smallmouth bass and whitefish providing a variety of opportunities throughout the year.

There are a number of different outfitters providing guided trips on the Ronde.
These trips are available for one-day floats or multi day adventures through the roadless sections of the river.

If you prefer to experience these areas on your own, the river is easily managed for the experienced drift boater and very easily scouted as you travel down river. Permits are required for float trips on some sections of the river, check BLM and US Forest Service regulations for complete details.

It doesn’t matter if you are a die-hard steelhead addict or a neophyte looking for your first fish -Try the Grande Ronde and you will not be disappointed! 

Grande Rronde Steehead