Grande Ronde
Located in northeast Oregon, the Grande Ronde River has more picture perfect steelhead swinging water than almost any river in North America. In 1988 this tributary of the Snake River was designated a Wild and Scenic River by Congress. The massive basalt canyon walls that rise several thousand feet from the river are home to a wide array of wildlife including bighorn sheep, elk, deer, turkey, upland game birds, and numerous raptors. The main draw for anglers, however, is the summer-run steelhead that inhabit this river start “running” in late September that go through the spring. These anadromous fish are most accessible with floating lines, dry flies and wet flies from when they show up to early November. The water starts to cool off in November and sink tips are used to get the flies down into the Steelheads strike zone. Bull Trout also inhabit the Grande Ronde River.