Fly Fishing Insider Newsletter featuring Grand Ronde River

Grand Ronde River
By: Brent Kaufman

I was slowly coming to my senses after a sleepless night of working late and packing at the last minute. Some 150 miles from home, it dawned on me there would be no propane to fuel the stove, lights, and heater. Thankfully, we were still in transit to our destination, The Grand Ronde River in Northeastern Oregon. “I hate it when there’s no time to organize, pack, and get ready before a trip!... I always forget something important,” I complained to the group in the truck.

We stopped at Pendleton and got a new propane tank. As we left town, we wondered if I should have bought an extra one for the heater alone, as temperatures were forecasted to be anywhere from the teens to the twenties with snow for the entire week. This was one vivid memory from the beginning of my first trip to The Grande Ronde River in November 2003. Not quite what I’d expected after being told that this was a beautiful steelhead river that I would never forget. “Never forget” came to be almost funny after we made it through the first float. The river froze solid at the takeout, preventing any further downriver progress. I believe it was 5ºF at the time.
The Grande Rhonde starts its way seaward as a tiny mountain creek in the Elkhorn Mountains south of La Grande, OR. It makes its journey Northeastward for more

than 185 miles before joining the mighty Snake River in Southeastern Washington. The most popular areas for drifting and fishing are below the Wallowa River all the way to the confluence at Heller Bar. The mouth area sees a bit more pressure than the areas upriver, but the bulk of the run comes in a bit earlier down below for you fair weather types. This area has fish in the system starting in mid September and then continuing into November for the upper stretches. Weather is generally mild, with temperatures averaging between the 30s and high 50s but be prepared for extreme cold and possibly even relatively warm conditions. There is not a lot of road access in the upper reaches, so a boat is required to fish here. Our group did a five day, 40 mile float through the upper Wild and Scenic section. The only person I know doing shuttles out that way is Melva Horn at the little store at Minam, OR (541) 437-1111.

River flows average between 600 – 900cfs this time of year, which are suitable for drifting rafts or catarafts. The town of Troy has good road access in the area near it. Also the mouth, at Heller Bar, has good access via a gravel road south of Asotin, WA. Subsequently, this area also receives the bulk of the fishing pressure.
The river was home to the Nez Pierce Indian Tribe and the area has been inhabited for more than 10,000 years by indigenous people. Chief Joseph, of the Nez Pierce led his warriors in

fierce battles with the US Military before surrendering, stating, “I will fight no more forever.” This ended the era of native inhabitation by people that were great hunters and fishermen. Remnants of ancient pit houses and petroglyphs can be seen throughout the area.
The steelhead returning to this river average between 4 – 6 pounds. Rods in the 6 – 8 wt. range are sufficient tools to get the job done. Both single and double hand rods work well. The river is moderate in width, so bombing casts with a spey rod most of the way across the river is not uncommon. The timing of the run, weather, and water temperature will depend on weather you fish floating or sinking lines. I prefer to fish floating lines for steelhead if conditions warrant, but both the last two years, fish have only been picked up with sinking lines (3 & 6ips). Water temperatures hovered between 33ºF and 45Fº   This river has a great reputation for fishing well with floating lines, and dry or skated flies, but I have never had the luck of warmer river temperatures during our trips.
Being a spey rod aficionado, I found my T&T 1307 to be perfectly matched for this river. Just make sure to have multiple lines/spools or a versi-tip system to ensure that you have the proper equipment to do the job. A solid 6wt. single hander, like Sage’s XP-6100 is a great rod to have on hand to nymph through runs as well. Also, being that these fish tend to be quite lively and strong fighters, make sure you have a dependable reel with a bombproof drag system. I found my new Lamson Velocity not only a great match for my rod (as it balances perfectly), but it also had the gusto to fight long running fish. My last fish of the trip was a beautiful, native 7 pound male brought to hand after a lengthy 10 + minute battle. I’m glad I had the right tools for the job!
Our group for this year’s trip included three anglers who did their best to bring fish to hand each day, fishing hard for 4 to 6 hours each per day. The first three days started off very slow with only 2 fish being hooked, one respectively by each guy. They were both fishing sink tip lines with a variety of classic low water summer flies. I, on the other hand, fished similar flies, but was stubborn in leaving my dry line on for the first two days in spite of cool river temperatures. Successful flies fished included: Purple Peril, Fly du Jour, Purple Angel, Undertaker (a classic Atlantic Salmon pattern), Green Butt Skunk, Halloween Spey, and finally, my favorite, a Purple Wooly Bugger fished on a sink tip. This ended up being one of the most productive set-ups for this trip. By trips end, 15 steelhead had been hooked with 11 landed between the three of us! Also, a few bull trout were taken while swinging flies in the slower, deeper pools. Bull trout are a federally protected, endangered species, so they must be released unharmed. Only adipose fin-clipped steelhead may be kept, with a limit of 3 per day between Sept. 1 – Apr. 15.   All native, unclipped steelhead must be released unharmed. Different from the Deschutes, for us local folk, you may fish from your boat.
Unlike our freeze over of the river last year, this year brought no permanent scarring to the group, or to the character of its individuals. What this year did unfold for us was a small glimpse into what kind of potential this river has to offer. If you like peaceful solitude with the opportunity to hook both hatchery and wild steelhead in a remote setting, then this is a river you should visit at least once in your lifetime.

Out Of The Gloom - Polarized Eyewear For Winter Fishing
Winter steelhead are most active when light levels are low. Shooters have known for a long while that yellow colored lenses brighten dark days and increase contrast. The photo below was created with the trickery of Adobe Photoshop, but is a fairly accurate portrayal of what happens when you wear yellow polarized lenses on a gloomy day. Being able to see better has got to be an advantage.

Larger View

Solar-Lite Series, "Fly" wraparound is a best-seller; nylon frame with rubberized temple tips for non-slip comfort. These glasses offer high performance at a reasonable price. The Lenses in the Larger View are brown, but you will be shipped glasses with yellow lenses.

Item	Model	Lens Color	Frame Color	Price	To Top
90724	Fisherman Eyewear 16FLY	yellow	black	$16.99

Yesterday we landed 12 redfish in a half day, they really school-up when the water temperature starts coming down. Our water although still in the mid-70s has come down from the mid-80's a few weeks ago. Today, we ran deep into the Everglades Park. On the way in we got a 4-pound bonefish. At another spot we got 3 nice sea trout and some ladyfish on the way to Sandy Key which is about 20 miles out. There we caught 2 very nice Redfish on a white and chartreuse Deceiver.

The rest of the day produced 2 smaller reds and a nice snook that broke off and got away. Many other fish were sited including one tarpon. Also got pretty close to massive flocks of White Pelicans, which are kind of rare here. Saw 2 eagles also, one bald and one that was either an immature bald or a Golden.

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F.P.F Hot Pink/Red - 10	F.P.F Green Mackerel - 1
F.P.F Blue Back - 5	F.P.F. Blue Mackerel - 1
F.P.F K.T.s Squid - 5	F.P.F Master Marlin - 1
F.P.F. Aussie Scad - 3	F.P.F. Master Sailfish - 1
F.P.F. Hot Pink/Black - 3	ALF Pin Head Anchovy - 1
ALF Stir Fly, Green - 2	ALF Blue Sardina - 1
F.P.F. Black Attack - 1	ALF Olive Sardina - 1
F.P.F. Mean Joe Green - 1
Each pattern is listed with the number of records it holds (or has held).
Hot Pink/Red flies appear to be the single most successful color combination for large pelagic fish. Pink is a color that is prominent in Pink/Red, Pink/Black and K.T.s Squid patterns. These three categories hold 18 of the 37 records listed on this chart. As expected, blue back and green back silver sided, white belly flies hold most of the rest of the records.

Fly Used:	Species	Class	Date	Weight	Angler	Salt water	Applicable	Special Notes:
				kg /lb.		Fresh water	Records:
F.P.F Green Mackerel 00706 8" #7/0	Striped Marlin	10kg (20lb)	9/12/98	48.7kg 107 lb.	John Costello	SW	South of Kenya	Kenya and All Africa	first ever fly caught Marlin to be taken in African waters
F.P.F. Aussie Scad 00700 12" #8x8	Dog Tooth Tuna	10kg (20lb)	3/16/99	12kg 26.4 lb	Dean Butler: Australia	SW	Australia	World Record
F.P.F Aussie Scad 00701 10" tube	Striped Marlin	10kg (20lb)	3/17/99	90.5kg 199 lb	Dean Butler: Australia	SW	Australia	World Record
F.P.F. Hot Pink/Red 00710 10" tube	Black Marlin	8kg (16lb)	2/14/99	52.2kg 115 lb	Dean Butler: Australia	SW	Australia	World Record
F.P.F. Mean Joe Green 01172 12" tube	Narrow Barred Mackerel	10kg (20lb)		18kg 39.6 lb.	George Campbell: Australia	SW	Australia	World Record
F.P.F. Hot Pink/Black 01169 14" tube	Striped Marlin	8kg (16lb)	2/14/99	49.5 kg 108.9 lb	Sophie Grover: Australia	SW	Australia	W. World Record
F.P.F. Hot Pink/Red 00710 10" tube	Black Marlin	10kg (20lb)		38kg 83.6 lb	Roly Newton: Australia	SW	Australia	World Record
F.P.F. Hot Pink/Black 01168 12" tube	Striped Marlin	10kg (20lb)		95kg 209 lb.	Fouad Sahaoui: Morocco	SW	Morocco	World Record
F.P.F Blue Back 00704 12" tube	Black Marlin	6kg (12lb)		56kg 123.2 lb	Fouad Sahaoui: Morocco	SW	Morocco	World Record
F.P.F Blue Back 00704 12" tube	Black Marlin	10kg (20lb)		52kg 114.4 lb	Fouad Sahaoui: Morocco	SW	Morocco	World Record (Beaten)
F.P.F. Hot Pink/Red 00711 14" tube	Black Marlin	4kg (8lb)	3/15/99	30.55kg 67.2 lb	Fouad Sahaoui: Morocco	SW	Morocco	World Record
F.P.F. Hot Pink/Red 00710 10" tube	Black Marlin	10kg (20lb)		101kg 222.2 lb	Brian Kane: USA	SW	Australia	World Record
F.P.F Blue Back 00704 12" tube	Black Marlin	10kg (20lb)	3/14/98	53kg 116.6 lb	Jodi Pate: USA	SW	Australia	W. World Record
F.P.F. K.T.s Squid 01170 10" tube	Atlantic Sailfish	10kg (20lb)	9/3/98	28.2kg 62 lb	Jodi Pate: USA	SW	Senegal	W. World Record
F.P.F Fat Albert Squid 02182 12" tube	Atlantic Sailfish	8kg (16lb)	9/2/98	28.4kg 62.4 lbs	Jodi Pate: USA	SW	Senegal	W. World Record
F.P.F. K.T.s Squid 00714 6" tube	Dolphin (Dorado)	10kg (20lb)	1/22/99	14.4kg 31.6 lbs	Jodi Pate: USA	SW	Costa Rica	W. World Record
F.P.F. Fat Albert Squid 02182 12" tube	White Marlin	10kg (20lb)	9/13/98	28.2kg 62.1 lbs	Jodi Pate: USA	SW	Morocco	W. World Record
F.P.F Black Attack 00702 10" tube	Stripped Marlin	10kg (20lb)	3/23/99	75.5kg 166.1 lb	Annick Prot: France	SW	Australia	W. World Record
ALF Pin Head Anchovy 00731 3" #4	Arctic Char	3kg (6lb)			Ed Rice: USA	FW	B.C. Canada	World Record
ALF Stir Fry Green 00739 #3/0	Pacific Bonito	4kg (8lb)			Ed Rice: USA	SW	USA	World Record
ALF Stir Fry Green 00739 #3/0	Black Skipjack	2kg (4lb)	12-98	2.9kg 6.3lb	John Rudee: USA	SW		World Record
ALF Blue Sardina 00733 #2/0	Pacific Bonito	10kg (20lb)	1-95	4.6kg 10.2 lb	Bill Howe: USA	SW		World Record
ALF olive Sardina 00732 #2/0	Lake Trout	8kg (16lb)		11.6kg 25.6 lb	Mark Sedotti: USA	FW		World Record
F.P.F. Blue Mackerel 01164 9" #5x5	Striped Marlin	10kg (20lb)	1-95	50.9kg 112 lbs	Kate Howe: USA	SW		World Record
F.P.F. Blue Back 00704 12" tube	Blue Marlin	10kg (20lb)	10-02	131.2kg 288.7 lb	Tom Evens: USA	SW	Australia	World Record	The biggest fish ever taken on a fly.
F.P.F. Aussie Scad 00700 12" #8x8	Dog Tooth Tuna	10kg (20lb)	6-05	11.8kg 26 lbs	Dean Butler: Australia	SW	Papua New Guinea	World Record (Beaten)	The first IGFA Dog Tooth claimed
F.P.F. Hot Pink/Red 00710 10" tube	Striped Marlin	8kg (16lb)	2-02	104.9kg 230.8 lb	Tom Evens: USA	SW	Australia	World Record	The largest Striped Marlin ever taken on a fly.
F.P.F. Hot Pink/Red 00711 14" tube	Cobia	10kg (20lb)		29.5kg 65 lb	Bert Miller:USA	SW	Australia	World Record (Released)
F.P.F Hot Pink/Red 00709 9" #7x7	Wahoo	8kg (16lb)		32kg 70.4 lb	Dr. Baxter: USA	SW	Vanuatu	World Record
F.P.F Hot Pink/Red 00709 9" #7x7	Dog Tooth Tuna	10kg (20lb)		20kg 44 lb	Dr. Baxter: USA	SW	Vanuatu	World Record
F.P.F. Hot Pink/Black 01168 12" tube	Dog Tooth Tuna	8kg (16lb)		13kg 28.6 lb	Dr. Baxter: USA	SW	Vanuatu	World Record
F.P.F. Hot Pink/Black 01168 12" tube	Dog Tooth Tuna	6kg (12lb)		13kg 28.6	Dr. Baxter: USA	SW	Vanuatu	World Record
F.P.F. Hot Pink/Red 708 7" #5/0	Dog Tooth Tuna	4kg (8lb)		7kg 15.4 lb.	Dr. Baxter: USA	SW	Vanuatu	World Record
F.P.F. Fat Albert Squid 02182 12" tube	Striped Marlin	8kg (16lb)		54kg 118.8 lb	Dean Butler: Australia	SW	Australia	Australia
F.P.F. Blue Back 00704 12" tube	Striped Marlin	10kg (20lb)		76kg 167.2 lb	Naish Hogan: Australia	SW	Australia	Australia
F.P.F Master Marlin 01180 14"#10x10	Striped Marlin	10kg (20lb)		68kg 149.6 lb	Mark Carnegie: Australia	SW	Australia	Australia (Beaten)
F.P.F. Master Sailfish 01182 12" #8x8	Black Marlin	10kg (20lb)		54kg 118.8 lb	Stewart Reid: Australia	SW	Australia	Australia

Copper Body Nymphs Are Great Winter Trout Flies
	Most days during the winter there is considerable insect activity on the bottom of most rivers. Many of the insects that will hatch next spring and summer are already foraging and growing as they move across the bottom. Most of these insects are still very small and they stay very close to the bottom of the river. A really good rig for fishing in winter is a twist-on, a Glo Bug and a Copper Nymph.
	Attach 6" of 4X to the end of a 9' 4X leader, attach a #10 Glo Bug and to the hook bend tie a 10" of 5X leader and attach a #18 Copper Nymph to the end of it. Lengths are between knots. Above the upper knot wrap on a twist-on lead strip.

		Bead Head Copper Nymph Utilizing an incredibly fast sink rate for such a tiny fly it gets near the bottom where trout would expect to find it. With a forked tail, neutral colored body and striped legs, this nymph approximates many things that trout feed. It has been proven with many great
catches. Copper nymphs are especially good in winter for trout, whitefish and even steelhead.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
010046-16	Bead Head Copper Nymph	16	3 for $5.25
010046-18	Bead Head Copper Nymph	18	3 for $5.25

		Bead Head Copper/Black Nymph There are many tiny mayfly and stonefly nymphs that have banded bodies. This is a more subdued colored copper nymph. The local on-stream tests lead us to believe that this will become one of the most popular nymphs. Trout and whitefish love them.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
010047-16	Bead Head Copper/Black Nymph	16	3 for $5.25
010047-18	Bead Head Copper/Black Nymph	18	3 for $5.25

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Or instead of buying yellow lens glasses, you can escape to the Florida Keys report from Captain Chris The water has cooled off quite a bit and the sky has been very sunny, this amounts to great bonefishing the Keys. Tuesday in a half day charter we found 5 schools of 20 or more fish each, feeding (mudding) in 2 to 3.5ft depths. All of these fish were Pigs from 8 to 13-pounds. My angler that day, BJ hooked and landed 2 of these fish on a fly, both were around 10-pounds. Both fish made repeated runs far into the backing.
	Yesterday we landed 12 redfish in a half day, they really school-up when the water temperature starts coming down. Our water although still in the mid-70s has come down from the mid-80's a few weeks ago. Today, we ran deep into the Everglades Park. On the way in we got a 4-pound bonefish. At another spot we got 3 nice sea trout and some ladyfish on the way to Sandy Key which is about 20 miles out. There we caught 2 very nice Redfish on a white and chartreuse Deceiver.
The rest of the day produced 2 smaller reds and a nice snook that broke off and got away. Many other fish were sited including one tarpon. Also got pretty close to massive flocks of White Pelicans, which are kind of rare here. Saw 2 eagles also, one bald and one that was either an immature bald or a Golden. Fun fun fun!!!!
When most people think of a trip to the Florida Keys, visions of schools of large tarpon first come to mind. Or perhaps its the population of bonefish that can reach 15# that you think of, for some it’s the ultimate challenge that dropping a crab fly in front of our large permit. That is what its all about down here for most of the year, however what many folks do not know is that the keys is as diverse a fishery as you will find anywhere. The "big three" of the flats (tarpon, bones and permit) are some of the best game fish that an angler can pursue. These fish are aggressive feeders and are usually eager to eat a well placed fly. What many do not know about the Florida Keys is that a fly rodder often is able to catch a variety of other hard fighting species. This is especially true after winter cold fronts have pushed migratory fish and bait in a southerly direction. These cold fronts often push a variety of schooling species down into the Keys. In the middle keys for example (Marathon area), there are schools of Spanish mackerel, bluefish ( Yes Bluefish), cobia, jack crevalle, pompano, barracuda, black tip shark (like the one Amy is holding), sea trout, ladyfish, the list goes on. Some Clouser Deep Eyed Minnows, Poppers and the occasional Deceiver pattern are all you need. Your guide will rig you with a wire leader if necessary. During my time fishing the keys, I come to realize more and more how great a fishery we do have. One day that comes to mind happened this past January; I was out with 2 other fisherman on board looking for some permit. We stopped at a spot where I had seen them in the past and I started polling the boat across the flat. We spotted a school of small permit and cast a crab fly into them and got an instant take. Alright, I thought. The fish fought fiercely on the 9wt rod. And only when he came to the boat did we realize that it was not permit but a huge pompano! The two look almost identical but the size range on pompano is much smaller. This one was about 6-pounds. That is a huge pompano so we high-fived and started catching more fish from the school. At about the time my buddy was playing his 5^th fish something great happened, a 40# King Mackerel came up on the flat and started circling the hooked pompano. He did not attack the hooked fish but acted like he was going to. As we played the fish closer to the boat, the big King, came close and actually had his fins and back out of the water as he viciously circled the pompano. It was awesome and many excited words were said as me and my pals tried to figure out how to hook-up with the King. We never hooked him and that is the only encounter I have heard of with a King Mackerel on a flat. Our next run-in was with a huge school of 3 to 5-pound bluefish. I had to rub my eyes to believe what I was seeing as I realized that the 60ft across green patch on the flat was actually a solid school of fish that were moving in our direction. The sides of many of the fish were lazily flashing silver as they turned on their sides randomly as they swam along. The first cast into them was an instant bite-off. So out came the wire leader and we had double-headers until we were tired of catching bluefish. The next 2 hours were spent in pursuit of cobia, which were found cruising on some other flats a short boat ride away. Cobia fishing is great sport and is true sight fishing as well. During warm spells in winter months, the tarpon and permit fishing can be hot in the keys. And there are almost always shots to be had at bonefish, even when the water is a bit chilly. During the winter most flats are deserted of other anglers. The Keys in December, January and February can be a real treat especially if you let your guide know you are open to catching a variety of species. RIGGING UP I like to have a quiver of about 3 fly rods rigged for a variety of situations. The extra rods give you a versatility that you will need to adapt quickly should you run into large Jacks, Shark or Tarpon (where you may want an 11 or 12wt) or perhaps mackerel, permit or bluefish are present, maybe a 9 or 10wt outfit and always you should have on hand your favorite 8 or 9wt stick for bones etc. I like to be rigged with a floating line on one rod and clear tip line on another rod. You will also want an intermediate line on your largest outfit, in case tarpon are hanging low in the water column as sometimes is the case with the winter resident tarpon. Here is an incomplete list of some of the different kinds of fish that can make you rod bend in the Florida Keys if the water temperature is too cold for bones, permit and tarpon: snapper, mackerel ( 2-kinds), cobia, ladyfish, Jack Crevalle, yellow Jack, 5 species of sharks, sea trout, pompano, bluefish and more. That does it I am going to tie some Clousers. Hope to see you on the water. Capt Chris Morrison Marathon, Florida Keys On the Web at www.captchris.com