Grande Ronde River
Located in Hell’s Canyon country and the far reaches of Southeast Washington, the river has humble beginnings in the Blue Mountains of Oregon. Although amazing “wild and scenic” flows exist upstream, the Grande Ronde is most popular (and accessible) from Troy, Oregon to its confluence with the Snake River. Cell phones don’t work and it takes a car ride down the approximately 2,000 foot drop of the Rattlesnake grade to reach the river. What a great place to steelhead fish!
Steelhead become perfuse in September with good numbers in October. We prefer to fish later in October through November when fall rain is more likely, causing the river to slightly rise and the water to cool. Two to three days are encouraged on the Grande Ronde due to the remote location and the variety of different floats available.